'7 more states to start administering Covaxin from next week': Health ministry
Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and West Bengal will start administering the Covid-19 vaccine.
Written by Prashasti Singh, New Delhi
UPDATED ON JAN 23, 2021 11:12 PM IST
Covaxin, one of the two vaccines to which the Drug Controller General of India gave the final approval for restricted emergency use, will be administered to people in seven more states from next week, the health ministry said on Saturday.
As many as 12 states are already using the vaccine. In addition to these, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and West Bengal will start administering the vaccine, additional secretary in the Union health ministry Manohar Agnani said while addressing a press conference.
"The orientation of all programme managers of these seven states was conducted today by the ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) and the health ministry covering all aspects of implementation protocols," he said.
Oxford Covid-19 vaccine Covishield, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, is the other vaccine currently being administered to people in India. Covaxin was developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research and National Institute of Virology and it is India's first indigenously-developed vaccine.
"As on January 23, a total of 15,37,190 beneficiaries have been vaccinated for Covid-19 in 27,776 sessions," Agnani said, adding that as many as 1,46,598 beneficiaries were vaccinated till 6pm on Saturday and 123 adverse event following immunisation were reported on the eighth day of the vaccination drive.
The vaccination drive was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 16 with over three crore healthcare and frontline workers prioritised to get the jabs initially.
‘No teeth’: SC wants stricter OTT rules
By Utkarsh Anand, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
PUBLISHED ON MAR 06, 2021 04:25 AM IST
- Giving two weeks to the government to come back with its response, the bench then formally recorded in its order that one of the issues that has caught its attention is “uncontrolled and unscreened viewing of films” on Amazon Prime Video and other OTT platforms.
Widen network, say experts as India aims to boost Covid vaccination drive
By Rhythma Kaul, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
UPDATED ON MAR 06, 2021 05:44 AM IST
- The roughly 20,000 centres being used for the vaccine drive at the moment are hospitals, private as well as public, while many primary and secondary health centres at present are kept out of the programme.
New Delhi rejects report as ‘misleading, misplaced’
By HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
PUBLISHED ON MAR 06, 2021 03:30 AM IST
- The external affairs ministry, which too rejected Freedom House’s report, also took exception to the depiction of Jammu and Kashmir in the map used in the document.
OCIs need nod for Tablighi, journalistic work: Centre
By HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
PUBLISHED ON MAR 06, 2021 03:23 AM IST
- A home ministry spokesperson said these rules prepared by the Foreigners’ Division were part of a brochure issued on November 15, 2019. The rules were consolidated and notified on Thursday.
K’taka ministers move court against airing of ‘defamatory content’
By Sharan Poovanna, Hindustan Times, Bengaluru
PUBLISHED ON MAR 06, 2021 03:18 AM IST
- After the allegations on Jarkiholi, there were unverified reports of several similar videos and other sex scandals against other cabinet ministers.
India set to achieve Paris pact targets before deadline: PM Modi
By Rajeev Jayaswal, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
PUBLISHED ON MAR 06, 2021 03:11 AM IST
- India is a signatory to the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
CM in 1st list; DMK-Cong hit stalemate
By Divya Chandrababu, Hindustan Times, Chennai
PUBLISHED ON MAR 06, 2021 03:02 AM IST
- On the other hand, the DMK’s stalemate continued with its main and long standing ally, the Congress, on seat sharing.
EC orders removal of PM’s images from vaccine certificates: Officials
By Deeksha Bhardwaj
UPDATED ON MAR 06, 2021 05:44 AM IST
- The person said it was imperative that the photographs are removed from certificates distributed in the poll bound states, adding that the system can continue in other states.
PM to head committee, Sonia and Tendulkar among 259 members
By HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
PUBLISHED ON MAR 06, 2021 02:39 AM IST
- Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, former President Pratibha Patil, economist Amartya Sen, cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, spiritual leader Baba Ramdev, chief ministers of states and senior political leaders are among those included in the panel.
NIA probes Jamaat-e-Islami’s J&K chapter
By Neeraj Chauhan, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
PUBLISHED ON MAR 06, 2021 01:21 AM IST
- According to Indian agencies, the JeI has maintained that J&K is a disputed territory.
YSRC bags all 6 MLC seats unopposed; silent on abolition of legislative council
PUBLISHED ON MAR 06, 2021 01:18 AM IST
- Interestingly, the election of the six YSRC members comes at a time when a resolution adopted by the Jagan Mohan Reddy government in the state assembly in January 2020, seeking abolition of the legislative council, is still pending with the Union home ministry.
Andhra CM Jagan Reddy urges SC to restart Amravati land scam probe
By Abraham Thomas
PUBLISHED ON MAR 06, 2021 01:05 AM IST
- When the matter came up before a bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan and R Subhash Reddy on Friday, the bench adjourned it to April 7 as it had no time for a full fledged hearing.
6 new cases of UK’s Covid-19 strain found in Indore, warning issued
PUBLISHED ON MAR 06, 2021 12:51 AM IST
- Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also held a review meeting on Friday to discuss with the divisional commissioners the steps being taken to contain the spread of the infection.
Container Corporation of India to push production, end dependency on China
By HT Correspondent, New Delhi
UPDATED ON MAR 06, 2021 12:30 AM IST
- There is a cost difference of about 25-30 per cent in containers made in India and abroad.
India pushes China for disengagement at remaining friction points on LAC
By Rezaul H Laskar, Sutirtho Patranobis
PUBLISHED ON MAR 06, 2021 12:18 AM IST
- After an agreement last month on pulling back frontline troops along with armoured vehicles and artillery from strategic heights around Pangong Lake, the two sides have been unable to make progress on disengagement at other friction points such as Depsang, Hot Springs and Gogra.