News Analysis India

Tag: covid-19

  • Govt panel recommends Corbevax as booster for adults vaccinated with Covishield, Covaxin

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: A government panel on Covid immunisation has recommended allowing Biological E’s Corbevax as a precaution dose for adults fully vaccinated with either Covishield or Covaxin, official sources said on Tuesday.

    If approved by the government, this would be the first time a booster dose of a Covid vaccine different from the one used for primary vaccination would be allowed in the country.

    The COVID-19 Working Group of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) made the recommendation in its 48th meeting held on July 20, an official source told PTI.

    “Corbevax may be considered for a third/precaution dose six months after completion of primary series of Covaxin or Covishield vaccines for population above 18 years wherever indicated,” the recommendation stated.

    India’s first indigenously developed RBD protein subunit vaccine Corbevax is currently being used to inoculate children in the age group of 12 to 14 years under the COVID-19 Immunisation programme.

    The COVID-19 Working Group (CWG), in its July 20 meeting, reviewed data of the double-blind randomized phase-3 clinical study which evaluated the immunogenicity and safety of booster dose of Corbevax vaccine when administered to COVID-19-negative adult volunteers of age 18-80 years previously vaccinated with two doses of either Covishield or Covaxin.

    “Following the examination of the data, the CWG observed that Corbevax vaccine can induce significant increase in antibody titers when given to those who have received either Covaxin or Covishield, which is likely to be protective as per the neutralization data also,” the source said.

    The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on June 4 approved Corbevax as a precaution dose for those aged 18 and above.

    At present, the same COVID-19 vaccine which has been used for administration of first and second doses is being given as precaution dose to all aged 18 years and above.

    More than 4.13 crore precaution doses have been administered in the 18-59 age group while over 5.11 crore precaution doses have been given to those aged 60 and above and healthcare and frontline workers.

    India began administering precaution doses of vaccines to healthcare and frontline workers and those aged 60 and above with comorbidities from January 10.

    The country began inoculating children aged 12-14 from March 16 and also removed the comorbidity clause making all people aged above 60 eligible for the precaution dose of Covid vaccine.

    India on April 10 began administering precaution doses of COVID-19 vaccines to all aged above 18 years.

    NEW DELHI: A government panel on Covid immunisation has recommended allowing Biological E’s Corbevax as a precaution dose for adults fully vaccinated with either Covishield or Covaxin, official sources said on Tuesday.

    If approved by the government, this would be the first time a booster dose of a Covid vaccine different from the one used for primary vaccination would be allowed in the country.

    The COVID-19 Working Group of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) made the recommendation in its 48th meeting held on July 20, an official source told PTI.

    “Corbevax may be considered for a third/precaution dose six months after completion of primary series of Covaxin or Covishield vaccines for population above 18 years wherever indicated,” the recommendation stated.

    India’s first indigenously developed RBD protein subunit vaccine Corbevax is currently being used to inoculate children in the age group of 12 to 14 years under the COVID-19 Immunisation programme.

    The COVID-19 Working Group (CWG), in its July 20 meeting, reviewed data of the double-blind randomized phase-3 clinical study which evaluated the immunogenicity and safety of booster dose of Corbevax vaccine when administered to COVID-19-negative adult volunteers of age 18-80 years previously vaccinated with two doses of either Covishield or Covaxin.

    “Following the examination of the data, the CWG observed that Corbevax vaccine can induce significant increase in antibody titers when given to those who have received either Covaxin or Covishield, which is likely to be protective as per the neutralization data also,” the source said.

    The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on June 4 approved Corbevax as a precaution dose for those aged 18 and above.

    At present, the same COVID-19 vaccine which has been used for administration of first and second doses is being given as precaution dose to all aged 18 years and above.

    More than 4.13 crore precaution doses have been administered in the 18-59 age group while over 5.11 crore precaution doses have been given to those aged 60 and above and healthcare and frontline workers.

    India began administering precaution doses of vaccines to healthcare and frontline workers and those aged 60 and above with comorbidities from January 10.

    The country began inoculating children aged 12-14 from March 16 and also removed the comorbidity clause making all people aged above 60 eligible for the precaution dose of Covid vaccine.

    India on April 10 began administering precaution doses of COVID-19 vaccines to all aged above 18 years.

  • Active Covid cases in country dip to 1,39,792 with 27 new deaths

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: With 13,734 new coronavirus infections being reported in a day, India’s tally of COVID-19 cases has risen to 4,40,50,009, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Tuesday.

    The death toll has climbed to 5,26,430 with 27 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated. The active cases have declined to 1,39,792. They comprise 0.32 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.49 per cent, the ministry said.

    A decrease of 4,197 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

    India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.

    It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

    The country crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23 last year. It crossed the four-crore mark on January 25 this year.

    NEW DELHI: With 13,734 new coronavirus infections being reported in a day, India’s tally of COVID-19 cases has risen to 4,40,50,009, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Tuesday.

    The death toll has climbed to 5,26,430 with 27 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated. The active cases have declined to 1,39,792. They comprise 0.32 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.49 per cent, the ministry said.

    A decrease of 4,197 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

    India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.

    It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

    The country crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23 last year. It crossed the four-crore mark on January 25 this year.

  • India records 19,673 Covid cases, 39 fatalities in a day; active infections reach to 1,43,676

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: India’s COVID-19 case rally rose by 19,673 in a day to reach 4,40,19,811 while active cases reached 1,43,676, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday.

    The death toll has climbed to 5,26,357 with 39 more fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated.

    Active caseload increased by 292 in a day and comprise 0.33 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was 98.48 per cent, the ministry said.

    The number of people who have recuperated from the viral disease surged to 4,33,49,778 while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.20 per cent.

    The daily positivity rate was 4.96 per cent and the weekly positivity rate was recorded at 4.88 per cent.

    According to the Union Health Ministry, 204.25 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far.

    India’s COVID-19 case tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.

    It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

    India crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 last year, three crore on June 23 and four crore on January 25 this year.

    The 39 new fatalities include seven in West Bengal, four in Maharashtra, three in Delhi, two each from Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh and one each in Assam, Goa, Karnataka, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura and Uttarakhand.

    NEW DELHI: India’s COVID-19 case rally rose by 19,673 in a day to reach 4,40,19,811 while active cases reached 1,43,676, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday.

    The death toll has climbed to 5,26,357 with 39 more fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated.

    Active caseload increased by 292 in a day and comprise 0.33 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was 98.48 per cent, the ministry said.

    The number of people who have recuperated from the viral disease surged to 4,33,49,778 while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.20 per cent.

    The daily positivity rate was 4.96 per cent and the weekly positivity rate was recorded at 4.88 per cent.

    According to the Union Health Ministry, 204.25 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far.

    India’s COVID-19 case tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.

    It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

    India crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 last year, three crore on June 23 and four crore on January 25 this year.

    The 39 new fatalities include seven in West Bengal, four in Maharashtra, three in Delhi, two each from Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh and one each in Assam, Goa, Karnataka, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura and Uttarakhand.

  • Mizoram’s COVID-positivity rate jumps to 30 per cent

    By PTI

    AIZAWL: Mizoram reported 218 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday at a positivity rate of 30.28 per cent, a health official said.

    Aizawl district reported the highest number of fresh cases at 84, followed by Lunglei district (54) and Mamit district (26), he said.

    The Northeastern state has so far reported 2,32,602 cases. The death toll remained at 710 with no new fatalities recorded. The positivity rate jumped to 30.28 per cent from 22.22 per cent on Friday, the official said, adding that the new cases were detected after testing 719 samples.

    There are 1,013 active cases in the state at present, while 2,30,879 people have recovered, including 127 in the last 24 hours, he said.

    AIZAWL: Mizoram reported 218 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday at a positivity rate of 30.28 per cent, a health official said.

    Aizawl district reported the highest number of fresh cases at 84, followed by Lunglei district (54) and Mamit district (26), he said.

    The Northeastern state has so far reported 2,32,602 cases. The death toll remained at 710 with no new fatalities recorded. The positivity rate jumped to 30.28 per cent from 22.22 per cent on Friday, the official said, adding that the new cases were detected after testing 719 samples.

    There are 1,013 active cases in the state at present, while 2,30,879 people have recovered, including 127 in the last 24 hours, he said.

  • Zero tolerance for terrorism in all its manifestations ‘must’: India at SCO meet

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: There is an urgent need to address the global energy and food crisis triggered by disruptions from the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukraine conflict, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said at a meeting of the SCO in Tashkent on Friday.

    With Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto listening, Jaishankar said “zero tolerance” for terrorism in all its manifestations is a “must”.

    In his address at the foreign ministerial meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), he also underlined the potential of the Chabahar port in Iran for the economic future of the grouping.

    Talking about the current global challenges, Jaishankar said the response required includes resilient and diversified supply chains as well as reformed multilateralism.

    The external affairs minister reiterated India’s position on Afghanistan and highlighted its humanitarian support to the war-torn country including the supply of wheat, medicines, vaccines and clothing.

    The major highlights of the deliberations included a decision to grant permanent membership of the bloc to Iran and make Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia its dialogue partners.

    The ministers also supported the applications of Bahrain and the Maldives for the status of SCO dialogue partners.

    The meeting also reviewed preparations for the upcoming summit of the grouping in Samarkand which is expected to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders of the eight-nation grouping.

    “Participated in the SCO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting at Tashkent. Highlighted that world faces an energy and food crisis due to disruptions from the Covid pandemic and Ukraine conflict. This needs to be urgently addressed,” Jaishankar tweeted.

    “Response required includes resilient and diversified supply chains as well as reformed multilateralism. Zero tolerance for terrorism in all its manifestations is a must,” he said. He said India will give the “fullest support” for the success of the Samarkand summit.

    “Reiterated India’s position on Afghanistan and highlighted our humanitarian support: wheat, medicines, vaccines and clothing. Underlined the potential of Chabahar port for SCO’s economic future,” Jaishankar said in another tweet.

    Jaishankar said the meeting was “very useful” in preparing for the Samarkand summit. “Spoke of the economic progress in India, stressing the relevance of startups and innovation. Cooperation in traditional medicine is in the common interest of SCO members,” he added.

    Earlier, all the foreign ministers of the SCO nations called on Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

    Jaishankar said he conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personal greetings to the Uzbek President. “Appreciated the momentum generated by Uzbek Presidency in fields of security, economy, trade, connectivity and culture,” he said.

    Uzbek news agency Dunyo reported that the ministers also supported the applications of Bahrain and the Maldives for the status of SCO dialogue partners. It said the SCO was also actively studying the application for full membership in the bloc by Belarus.

    “There is a common understanding that the replenishment of the ‘SCO family’ will give a significant impetus to multifaceted interaction in the field of regional security, trade, investment and industrial cooperation,” acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Vladimir Norov said.

    He said it will contribute to the further development of the huge transport and transit potential in the space of the organisation.

    The SCO, seen as a counterweight to NATO, is a key economic and security bloc and has emerged as one of the largest transregional international organisations. India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017.

    SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the Presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

    India has shown keen interest in deepening its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) which specifically deals with issues relating to security and defence.

    India was made an observer at the SCO in 2005 and has generally participated in the ministerial-level meetings of the grouping which focus mainly on security and economic cooperation in the Eurasian region.

    NEW DELHI: There is an urgent need to address the global energy and food crisis triggered by disruptions from the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukraine conflict, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said at a meeting of the SCO in Tashkent on Friday.

    With Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto listening, Jaishankar said “zero tolerance” for terrorism in all its manifestations is a “must”.

    In his address at the foreign ministerial meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), he also underlined the potential of the Chabahar port in Iran for the economic future of the grouping.

    Talking about the current global challenges, Jaishankar said the response required includes resilient and diversified supply chains as well as reformed multilateralism.

    The external affairs minister reiterated India’s position on Afghanistan and highlighted its humanitarian support to the war-torn country including the supply of wheat, medicines, vaccines and clothing.

    The major highlights of the deliberations included a decision to grant permanent membership of the bloc to Iran and make Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia its dialogue partners.

    The ministers also supported the applications of Bahrain and the Maldives for the status of SCO dialogue partners.

    The meeting also reviewed preparations for the upcoming summit of the grouping in Samarkand which is expected to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders of the eight-nation grouping.

    “Participated in the SCO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting at Tashkent. Highlighted that world faces an energy and food crisis due to disruptions from the Covid pandemic and Ukraine conflict. This needs to be urgently addressed,” Jaishankar tweeted.

    “Response required includes resilient and diversified supply chains as well as reformed multilateralism. Zero tolerance for terrorism in all its manifestations is a must,” he said. He said India will give the “fullest support” for the success of the Samarkand summit.

    “Reiterated India’s position on Afghanistan and highlighted our humanitarian support: wheat, medicines, vaccines and clothing. Underlined the potential of Chabahar port for SCO’s economic future,” Jaishankar said in another tweet.

    Jaishankar said the meeting was “very useful” in preparing for the Samarkand summit. “Spoke of the economic progress in India, stressing the relevance of startups and innovation. Cooperation in traditional medicine is in the common interest of SCO members,” he added.

    Earlier, all the foreign ministers of the SCO nations called on Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

    Jaishankar said he conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personal greetings to the Uzbek President. “Appreciated the momentum generated by Uzbek Presidency in fields of security, economy, trade, connectivity and culture,” he said.

    Uzbek news agency Dunyo reported that the ministers also supported the applications of Bahrain and the Maldives for the status of SCO dialogue partners. It said the SCO was also actively studying the application for full membership in the bloc by Belarus.

    “There is a common understanding that the replenishment of the ‘SCO family’ will give a significant impetus to multifaceted interaction in the field of regional security, trade, investment and industrial cooperation,” acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Vladimir Norov said.

    He said it will contribute to the further development of the huge transport and transit potential in the space of the organisation.

    The SCO, seen as a counterweight to NATO, is a key economic and security bloc and has emerged as one of the largest transregional international organisations. India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017.

    SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the Presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

    India has shown keen interest in deepening its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) which specifically deals with issues relating to security and defence.

    India was made an observer at the SCO in 2005 and has generally participated in the ministerial-level meetings of the grouping which focus mainly on security and economic cooperation in the Eurasian region.

  • 30 school children vaccinated with just one syringe in Madhya Pradesh, probe ordered

    By Express News Service

    BHOPAL: A chilling case of negligence in Covid-19 vaccination of school children happened in Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday.

    In flagrant violation of the established ‘one needle-one syringe-only one-time’ protocol, advisories and pledges by the central government, national and international agencies, at least 30 school children were administered Covid-19 vaccine doses with just a single syringe at a reputed school in Sagar city, a kilometre from the state capital Bhopal.

    The shocker happened at the Jain Public Higher Secondary School by male vaccinator Jitendra Rai.

    Immediately, Dinesh Namdev, one of the parents accompanying their children for vaccination, spotted the anomaly and blew the whistle. “My daughter is a Class 9 student and was among those vaccinated on Wednesday. I enquired from the man vaccinating the kids, as to how many syringes were being used by him to vaccinate the children. His reply was shocking, as he informed that, at least 40 children had been vaccinated with just one syringe. I immediately reported the matter to the school administration,” he said.

    “Who will be held responsible, if our kids develop any health complications out of this blatant single syringe usage? Will it be the school or the health department, who will take the responsibility if anything adverse happens with our kids,” he questioned.

    With the news of the shocking negligence spreading like wildfire, the officiating Sagar district collector Kshitij Singhal rushed the district’s chief medical and health officer [CMHO] Dr DK Goswami to the concerned school.

    Before the CMHO could reach the spot, the scribes quizzed Jitendra on camera, who admitted vaccinating at least 30 children with one syringe. “I vaccinated 30 children with one syringe, as just one syringe was given to me and I was asked by the department staff to vaccinate all kids with just one syringe. I knew that one syringe shouldn’t be used, but since I was told to do so, I did,” he said. He also could not recollect who from the health department had sent him and dropped him at the school for the Covid vaccination drive.

    During the primary on-the-spot inspection and probe by the CMHO, Jitendra was found missing from the school premises and his phone was also switched off. “While an FIR has been registered by the health department against Jitendra at the Gopalganj police station, a departmental probe against the district vaccination officer Dr Rakesh Roshan has been recommended to the Sagar divisional commissioner,” an official statement from the Sagar district administration stated.

    Meanwhile, the opposition Congress’s state spokesperson Abbas Hafeez demanded the state health minister Dr Prabhuram Chowdhary’s resignation over the flagrant negligence during the vaccination of children at the school. “What has happened at the school in Sagar, exposes that the state’s health apparatus is flouting all safety norms and protocols in the name of achieving targets under the Covid vaccination mega campaign to score points nationally. Just to stay ahead in national Covid vaccination statistics, the state health apparatus is treating our kids as guinea-pigs. This blatant anomaly has been spotted by one parent at the school today, but this has triggered an apprehension about similar negligence having happened elsewhere with our generation next in the state in the past,” Hafeez alleged.

    It is to be recalled that a month before the Covid-19 vaccination actually started in India, in January 2021, the union ministry for health and family welfare had reportedly pledged strict usage of the “One needle, one syringe, only one-time” protocol in COVID vaccination across the country. 

    BHOPAL: A chilling case of negligence in Covid-19 vaccination of school children happened in Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday.

    In flagrant violation of the established ‘one needle-one syringe-only one-time’ protocol, advisories and pledges by the central government, national and international agencies, at least 30 school children were administered Covid-19 vaccine doses with just a single syringe at a reputed school in Sagar city, a kilometre from the state capital Bhopal.

    The shocker happened at the Jain Public Higher Secondary School by male vaccinator Jitendra Rai.

    Immediately, Dinesh Namdev, one of the parents accompanying their children for vaccination, spotted the anomaly and blew the whistle. “My daughter is a Class 9 student and was among those vaccinated on Wednesday. I enquired from the man vaccinating the kids, as to how many syringes were being used by him to vaccinate the children. His reply was shocking, as he informed that, at least 40 children had been vaccinated with just one syringe. I immediately reported the matter to the school administration,” he said.

    “Who will be held responsible, if our kids develop any health complications out of this blatant single syringe usage? Will it be the school or the health department, who will take the responsibility if anything adverse happens with our kids,” he questioned.

    With the news of the shocking negligence spreading like wildfire, the officiating Sagar district collector Kshitij Singhal rushed the district’s chief medical and health officer [CMHO] Dr DK Goswami to the concerned school.

    Before the CMHO could reach the spot, the scribes quizzed Jitendra on camera, who admitted vaccinating at least 30 children with one syringe. “I vaccinated 30 children with one syringe, as just one syringe was given to me and I was asked by the department staff to vaccinate all kids with just one syringe. I knew that one syringe shouldn’t be used, but since I was told to do so, I did,” he said. He also could not recollect who from the health department had sent him and dropped him at the school for the Covid vaccination drive.

    During the primary on-the-spot inspection and probe by the CMHO, Jitendra was found missing from the school premises and his phone was also switched off. “While an FIR has been registered by the health department against Jitendra at the Gopalganj police station, a departmental probe against the district vaccination officer Dr Rakesh Roshan has been recommended to the Sagar divisional commissioner,” an official statement from the Sagar district administration stated.

    Meanwhile, the opposition Congress’s state spokesperson Abbas Hafeez demanded the state health minister Dr Prabhuram Chowdhary’s resignation over the flagrant negligence during the vaccination of children at the school. “What has happened at the school in Sagar, exposes that the state’s health apparatus is flouting all safety norms and protocols in the name of achieving targets under the Covid vaccination mega campaign to score points nationally. Just to stay ahead in national Covid vaccination statistics, the state health apparatus is treating our kids as guinea-pigs. This blatant anomaly has been spotted by one parent at the school today, but this has triggered an apprehension about similar negligence having happened elsewhere with our generation next in the state in the past,” Hafeez alleged.

    It is to be recalled that a month before the Covid-19 vaccination actually started in India, in January 2021, the union ministry for health and family welfare had reportedly pledged strict usage of the “One needle, one syringe, only one-time” protocol in COVID vaccination across the country. 

  • No data on number of anganwadi workers who died due to Covid: Govt

    Anganwadi workers were at the forefront of tackling the pandemic as they supplied ration and essentials to children and pregnant and lactating women amid the Covid-induced lockdown.

  • Supply chains must be both global and local

    Express News Service

    The Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war have exposed the fragility of global supply chains, prompting countries to look inwards increasingly. Calls for national self-sufficiency and near-shoring supply chains threaten to reverse the gains from globalisation and an interconnected world economy.

    Global supply chains spanning multiple industries and dozens of countries have driven and defined globalisation over the past few decades. Till recently, an estimated 70% of world trade was carried out through these supply chains.

    Their critical role in international trade has made them prime drivers of the world economy. Their evolution has led to technology growth, job creation, greater prosperity and improved living standards, especially in developing economies. Emerging markets such as the BRICS countries, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, Indonesia, China and South Africa, have been the largest beneficiaries of this development. The fragmentation of these global networks does not augur well for the world economy. Trade protectionism will result in shocks to the global financial system and add cost and inefficiencies to the detriment of consumers.

    Rethinking the global supply chainsRecent developments have made it amply clear that low costs can no longer be the sole determinant of supply chain decisions. The COVID-19 pandemic had stretched supply chains, making it costlier to procure raw materials, manufacture goods and ship them worldwide. The war in Europe has worsened price pressures in the food and energy markets. According to the IMF, inflation rates around the world have recently reached an average of 8.7%.

    Kiran Mazumdar-ShawThe current situation demands a fundamental rethinking of global supply chains to make them resilient and agile to manage disruption risks better. The world needs to move from a centralised, linear model of supply to digitally enabled, distributed supply networks closer to customers and markets.

    These ‘future ready’ supply chains will need to be dynamic to meet rapidly evolving and increasingly volatile customer and consumer needs. They need to be smart to predict, prepare, and respond to a catastrophe whenever and wherever it strikes. They also must demonstrate a commitment to improved environmental, social and governance performance by ensuring that business operations are circular, net zero, and trusted.

    We have a great example of a flexible and resilient system, the Internet, which is based on a highly distributed architecture. The pandemic, for instance, was managed on a cyber backbone that enabled remote working, virtual meetings and digital commerce and kept the world economies interconnected and relatively undisrupted. Leveraging the Internet model to reinvent the global supply chains of tomorrow can lead us into a state of preparedness no matter the crisis.

    Personalised supply chains are what the future will ultimately demand, e.g., e-commerce and e-pharmacies, which will need to cater to individual needs in the shortest time. It will need digital platforms that track, trace and deliver at speed and scale. Hub and spoke models that are both agile and affordable will form the distributed model that will need to have lean and efficient, ‘just in time’ inventory management systems.

    Supply chains of the future must be global, regional and local simultaneously.

    India can gain from the reshaping of supply chainsTo ensure that production disruptions in one location–like the Covid lockdowns in China–don’t disrupt entire supply chains, there will be greater emphasis on making supply chains more resilient. India benefits from the ‘China Plus One’ strategy when MNCs are trying to diversify their supply chains to include sourcing from India to mitigate their dependence on China.

    This dovetails with the government’s declared objective of integrating India with global supply chains. The government has rolled out policy initiatives such as the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme and low corporate tax rates for new manufacturing to capture this emerging opportunity.

    Information technology and connectivity will be key elements in global integration in future. Countries with strong digital backbones could act as the arteries of this new global supply chain system. This is why India will have a pivotal role in this digital transformation of global supply networks.

    India’s strategic intent to build a robust digital economy and its commitment to universal healthcare have already been initiated in our country, from DBTs to CoWin. Digital healthcare that relies on distributed models is a great opportunity for India to build sustainable and resilient supply chains across vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics for the world.

    The writer is Chairperson of Biocon and Biocon Biologics

    The Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war have exposed the fragility of global supply chains, prompting countries to look inwards increasingly. Calls for national self-sufficiency and near-shoring supply chains threaten to reverse the gains from globalisation and an interconnected world economy.

    Global supply chains spanning multiple industries and dozens of countries have driven and defined globalisation over the past few decades. Till recently, an estimated 70% of world trade was carried out through these supply chains.

    Their critical role in international trade has made them prime drivers of the world economy. Their evolution has led to technology growth, job creation, greater prosperity and improved living standards, especially in developing economies. Emerging markets such as the BRICS countries, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, Indonesia, China and South Africa, have been the largest beneficiaries of this development. The fragmentation of these global networks does not augur well for the world economy. Trade protectionism will result in shocks to the global financial system and add cost and inefficiencies to the detriment of consumers.

    Rethinking the global supply chains
    Recent developments have made it amply clear that low costs can no longer be the sole determinant of supply chain decisions. The COVID-19 pandemic had stretched supply chains, making it costlier to procure raw materials, manufacture goods and ship them worldwide. The war in Europe has worsened price pressures in the food and energy markets. According to the IMF, inflation rates around the world have recently reached an average of 8.7%.

    Kiran Mazumdar-ShawThe current situation demands a fundamental rethinking of global supply chains to make them resilient and agile to manage disruption risks better. The world needs to move from a centralised, linear model of supply to digitally enabled, distributed supply networks closer to customers and markets.

    These ‘future ready’ supply chains will need to be dynamic to meet rapidly evolving and increasingly volatile customer and consumer needs. They need to be smart to predict, prepare, and respond to a catastrophe whenever and wherever it strikes. They also must demonstrate a commitment to improved environmental, social and governance performance by ensuring that business operations are circular, net zero, and trusted.

    We have a great example of a flexible and resilient system, the Internet, which is based on a highly distributed architecture. The pandemic, for instance, was managed on a cyber backbone that enabled remote working, virtual meetings and digital commerce and kept the world economies interconnected and relatively undisrupted. Leveraging the Internet model to reinvent the global supply chains of tomorrow can lead us into a state of preparedness no matter the crisis.

    Personalised supply chains are what the future will ultimately demand, e.g., e-commerce and e-pharmacies, which will need to cater to individual needs in the shortest time. It will need digital platforms that track, trace and deliver at speed and scale. Hub and spoke models that are both agile and affordable will form the distributed model that will need to have lean and efficient, ‘just in time’ inventory management systems.

    Supply chains of the future must be global, regional and local simultaneously.

    India can gain from the reshaping of supply chains
    To ensure that production disruptions in one location–like the Covid lockdowns in China–don’t disrupt entire supply chains, there will be greater emphasis on making supply chains more resilient. India benefits from the ‘China Plus One’ strategy when MNCs are trying to diversify their supply chains to include sourcing from India to mitigate their dependence on China.

    This dovetails with the government’s declared objective of integrating India with global supply chains. The government has rolled out policy initiatives such as the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme and low corporate tax rates for new manufacturing to capture this emerging opportunity.

    Information technology and connectivity will be key elements in global integration in future. Countries with strong digital backbones could act as the arteries of this new global supply chain system. This is why India will have a pivotal role in this digital transformation of global supply networks.

    India’s strategic intent to build a robust digital economy and its commitment to universal healthcare have already been initiated in our country, from DBTs to CoWin. Digital healthcare that relies on distributed models is a great opportunity for India to build sustainable and resilient supply chains across vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics for the world.

    The writer is Chairperson of Biocon and Biocon Biologics

  • COVID-19: India records 21,566 fresh cases, 45 more fatalities; active infections climb to 1,48,881

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: India saw a single-day rise of 21,566 coronavirus cases, the highest in 152 days, taking its COVID-19 tally to 4,38,25,185, while the number of active cases in the country climbed to 1,48,881 on Thursday, the Union health ministry said.

    The death toll due to the viral disease has gone up to 5,25,870 with 45 more fatalities, according to the ministry’s data updated at 8 am.

    The active cases account for 0.34 per cent of the total caseload, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.46 per cent, the ministry said.

    An increase of 3,227 cases was recorded in the active Covid caseload in a span of 24 hours.

    The daily positivity rate was recorded at 4.25 per cent while the weekly positivity rate was recorded at 4.51 per cent, according to the ministry.

    The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has gone up to 4,31,50,434 while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.2 per cent.

    According to the ministry, 200.91 crore doses of Covid vaccines have so far been administered under the nationwide vaccination drive.

    India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 2020, 40 lakh on September 5, 2020 and 50 lakh on September 16, 2020.

    It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 2020, 70 lakh on October 11, 2020, 80 lakh on October 29, 2020, 90 lakh on November 20, 2020 and the one-crore mark on December 19, 2020.

    The country crossed the grim milestone of two crore Covid cases on May 4 last year, the three-crore mark on June 23 last year and four crore cases on January 25 this year.

    Of the 45 new fatalities, 17 were reported from Kerala, seven from Maharashtra, six from West Bengal, two each from Assam, Bihar, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand and one each from Goa, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Mizoram, Sikkim and Uttar Pradesh.

    NEW DELHI: India saw a single-day rise of 21,566 coronavirus cases, the highest in 152 days, taking its COVID-19 tally to 4,38,25,185, while the number of active cases in the country climbed to 1,48,881 on Thursday, the Union health ministry said.

    The death toll due to the viral disease has gone up to 5,25,870 with 45 more fatalities, according to the ministry’s data updated at 8 am.

    The active cases account for 0.34 per cent of the total caseload, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.46 per cent, the ministry said.

    An increase of 3,227 cases was recorded in the active Covid caseload in a span of 24 hours.

    The daily positivity rate was recorded at 4.25 per cent while the weekly positivity rate was recorded at 4.51 per cent, according to the ministry.

    The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has gone up to 4,31,50,434 while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.2 per cent.

    According to the ministry, 200.91 crore doses of Covid vaccines have so far been administered under the nationwide vaccination drive.

    India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 2020, 40 lakh on September 5, 2020 and 50 lakh on September 16, 2020.

    It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 2020, 70 lakh on October 11, 2020, 80 lakh on October 29, 2020, 90 lakh on November 20, 2020 and the one-crore mark on December 19, 2020.

    The country crossed the grim milestone of two crore Covid cases on May 4 last year, the three-crore mark on June 23 last year and four crore cases on January 25 this year.

    Of the 45 new fatalities, 17 were reported from Kerala, seven from Maharashtra, six from West Bengal, two each from Assam, Bihar, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand and one each from Goa, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Mizoram, Sikkim and Uttar Pradesh.

  • NCERT books ‘rationalised’ due to Covid; removed overlapping: Govt to House

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Amidst the furore over tinkering with school textbooks, the government told the parliament that it was a rationalisation exercise to compensate for the academic loss during Covid-19 and remove overlapping of similar content.

    In a written reply, Minister of State of Education Annpurna Devi said the rationalisation exercises were also taken due to overlapping of similar content, making the content easily accessible to children, without much intervention from the teachers, can be learned through self-learning or peer learning. 

    There has been much controversy over the past two years about changes and reduction of a course syllabus, which included critical issues such as federalism, secularism, Gujarat riots, Cold War, Mughal court, industrial revolution and climate change from textbooks of classes 6-12.

    The ministry said that during the Covid-19 pandemic situation, students across the stages of school education had struggled a lot to continue their learning through online and other modes. 

    Also, concerns about curriculum load, including the content load spread over syllabi and textbooks, have been raised from different corners.

    Further, National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 states that ‘the reduction in content and increased flexibility of school curriculum and the renewed emphasis on constructive rather than rote learning must be accompanied by parallel changes in school textbooks.’ 

    “To facilitate speedy recovery in students’ learning continuum and compensate for time loss, NCERT took a step towards the rationalisation of textbooks across the stages and subject areas,” the minister said.

    She said the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) followed specific criteria for rationalising content load.

    ALSO READ | CBSE drops chapters on Islamic empires, Cold War from syllabus

    These are – overlapping with similar content included in another subject area in the same class; similar content contained in the lower or higher course in the same subject; difficulty level; and content that is easily accessible to children and does not require much intervention from the teachers and can be learned through self-learning or peer learning.

    In this process, they also rationalised content as irrelevant in the present context or outdated and took care of the learning outcomes already developed across the classes.

    NCERT also met with the teachers nominated by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to discuss the rationalisation exercise across the subject areas.

    The minister said various subject departments of the NCERT engaged external experts as part of the rationalisation exercises and the number of consultations.

    Aside from NCERT in-house experts, NCERT sought the expertise of subject experts from universities, organisations and practising teachers in all its activities related to research, development, training and extension for broader consultation. 

    NEW DELHI: Amidst the furore over tinkering with school textbooks, the government told the parliament that it was a rationalisation exercise to compensate for the academic loss during Covid-19 and remove overlapping of similar content.

    In a written reply, Minister of State of Education Annpurna Devi said the rationalisation exercises were also taken due to overlapping of similar content, making the content easily accessible to children, without much intervention from the teachers, can be learned through self-learning or peer learning. 

    There has been much controversy over the past two years about changes and reduction of a course syllabus, which included critical issues such as federalism, secularism, Gujarat riots, Cold War, Mughal court, industrial revolution and climate change from textbooks of classes 6-12.

    The ministry said that during the Covid-19 pandemic situation, students across the stages of school education had struggled a lot to continue their learning through online and other modes. 

    Also, concerns about curriculum load, including the content load spread over syllabi and textbooks, have been raised from different corners.

    Further, National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 states that ‘the reduction in content and increased flexibility of school curriculum and the renewed emphasis on constructive rather than rote learning must be accompanied by parallel changes in school textbooks.’ 

    “To facilitate speedy recovery in students’ learning continuum and compensate for time loss, NCERT took a step towards the rationalisation of textbooks across the stages and subject areas,” the minister said.

    She said the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) followed specific criteria for rationalising content load.

    ALSO READ | CBSE drops chapters on Islamic empires, Cold War from syllabus

    These are – overlapping with similar content included in another subject area in the same class; similar content contained in the lower or higher course in the same subject; difficulty level; and content that is easily accessible to children and does not require much intervention from the teachers and can be learned through self-learning or peer learning.

    In this process, they also rationalised content as irrelevant in the present context or outdated and took care of the learning outcomes already developed across the classes.

    NCERT also met with the teachers nominated by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to discuss the rationalisation exercise across the subject areas.

    The minister said various subject departments of the NCERT engaged external experts as part of the rationalisation exercises and the number of consultations.

    Aside from NCERT in-house experts, NCERT sought the expertise of subject experts from universities, organisations and practising teachers in all its activities related to research, development, training and extension for broader consultation.