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NATIONAL: HEALTH & MEDICAL SERVICES / VACCINES: INDIA’S FIRST INTRANASAL COVID-19 VACCINE – 3 Lakh Doses of Intranasal Covid Vaccine ‘iNCOVACC’ sent to Hospitals: Bharat Biotech’s Krishna Ella

iNCOVACC, the world’s first intranasal COVID-19 vaccine, was launched on January 26.

Bharat Biotech dispatched three lakh doses of its intranasal COVID-19 vaccine to some hospitals two days ago, the company’s executive chairman Krishna Ella said on Sunday.

Mr. Ella was speaking on the sidelines of an event here at which a bilateral agreement was signed between the University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison Global Health Institute (GHI) and the Ella Foundation for the establishment of the first-ever UW-Madison One Health Centre in Bengaluru.

iNCOVACC, the world’s first intranasal COVID-19 vaccine, was launched on January 26. The vaccine is now available on CoWIN and priced at ₹800 for private markets and ₹325 for the government of India and State governments.

“We dispatched three lakh doses of the world’s first intranasal COVID-19 vaccine to some hospitals two days ago,” Mr. Ella said.

On whether Bharat Biotech is looking at exporting the vaccine, he said some countries and international agencies are approaching the company for the intra-nasal vaccine.

iNCOVACC is also the world’s first intranasal COVID-19 vaccine to receive approval for the primary 2-dose schedule, and as a heterologous booster dose for adults.

Mr. Ella said the UW-Madison One Health Centre in Bengaluru is expected to be operational by the end of 2023.

It will advance the development and production of new vaccines for India. Furthermore, the partnership will enable collaboration across disciplines and geographic boundaries, provide Indian students and researchers access to UW expertise and training, and build research capacity in India, he said.

“Both Ella Foundation and UW-Madison GHI share a common vision to advance innovation in science, research, and knowledge sharing. Establishing the UW-Madison Global One Health Centre holds great significance as it will advance global health through research, education, and community engagement by facilitating student, faculty exchanges, research and education,” he added.

UW-Madison GHI director Jorge Osorio said, “We are energised by the opportunity to partner with the Ella Foundation to bring UW knowledge and expertise to expand innovative and impactful health initiatives outside Wisconsin to India.”

The India One Health Centre joins a global network that includes Africa and Latin America and will open new opportunities for research, education, and provide actionable outcomes to benefit humans, animals, and ecosystems that advance equitable and sustainable health across India and the world.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: TRAVEL & TOURISM: India to Showcase Success in ‘Rural and Archaeological Tourism’ at G-20 meeting

Rural tourism and archaeological tourism will be the topics for two side events at the first tourism ministerial meeting of the G-20 from February 7 to 9.

The Ladpura Khas village of Madhya Pradesh , Khonoma village of Nagaland and heritage sites like Dholavira will be showcased as success stories of rural and archaeological tourism by India during the first tourism working group meeting of the G-20 nations to be held at the Rann of Kutch.

Rural tourism and archaeological tourism will be the topics for two side events at the first tourism ministerial meeting of the G-20 from February 7 to 9 where India will highlight the most successful and innovative initiatives of these from various parts of India, Tourism Secretary Arvind Singh said on Friday.

The Ladpura Khas village of Madhya Pradesh was nominated as the Best Rural Tourism Village by the UNWTO. In this village, the State government developed homestays in villages under the Responsible Tourism Mission of the State.

Success stories will be presented of Kevadiya, Gujarat and some sensitive areas of Jammu and Kashmir like Poonch where OYO Hotels and tribal homestays have been developed.

India will also present the innovative model of community based Astrotourism that involves rural homestays and community spaces that are completely run by villagers and provides travellers an integrated experience of stargazing along with cultural immersion in the Himalayas, while Nagaland’s Khonoma Village will present the model of Ecotourism Management Board that develops Rural Tourism Products and promotes responsible travel.

The success of developing many rural tourism products in and around Rann of Kutch will also be presented.

“The idea is to present rural tourism as a means of community empowerment and poverty alleviation,” Mr. Singh said.

India will also showcase its success in archaeological tourism  and discuss shared cultural heritage with the G-20 delegates. The delegates will be taken to Dholavira which is the southern centre of the Harappan civilisation.

Officials said that the guests would be presented with gifts made under the One District One Product programme to showcase Indian heritage and culture.

The first tourism working group meeting in the Kutch would also work on a Goa Roadmap and Action Plan for Tourism as a vehicle for achieving Sustainable Development Goals. Goa would be the venue for the G-20 ministerial meeting of tourism in June this year.

The meeting will provide a vision, roadmap and guidance for accelerated growth of tourism sector beyond pandemic based on the five key building blocks of Sustainability, Digitalisation, Skills, MSMEs and Destination management towards achieving SDGs, the Secretary said.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

WORLD RECORDS: SPORTS / CRICKET: India Women Create History, Clinch Inaugural ‘ICC U19 T20 World Cup’

Shafali Verma-led team beat England U-19 Women by seven wickets in final at Potchefstroom.

When India skipper Shafali Verma got out while India were chasing 69 there was no panic in the India team. Their pursuit of glory was still within grasp in the final of the inaugural ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup final at Potchefstroom on Sunday. Even when Shweta Sehrawat, the batting star of the tournament, got out, the dressing room did not freak out.

Because out in the middle were Soumya Tiwari and G Trisha — the two who knew what was needed. They have spent enough time together to know each other’s game and more importantly, they knew what was at stake. Trisha (24) and Soumya (24 n.o) ensured there were no further hiccups as India cruised towards the title.  

Just to put the match into context, their bowlers had done their job. Titas Sadhu, the pacer from Bengal, had set the stage with a splendid new ball spell, finishing with 2/6 in her four overs before spinners did the rest.

A seven-wicket win to bring home the World Cup trophy — the one that eluded their coach Nooshin Al Khadeer when she was in the same country 18 years ago as a player, then again in 2017 against the same opposition at Lord’s and again in 2020 versus Australia. In fact, their captain Shafali and Richa Ghosh know what it is like to be on the other side of the result.

This, however, is the new generation. These players don’t panic. They aren’t overwhelmed by big occasions. Their confidence at times can be scary too. Some of them, Shabnam MD for example, weren’t even born when Nooshin was playing in 2005. Though they have had their share of struggle getting into the sport, but in the past couple of years they have left all that behind. Their mission was to make it to the U19 World Cup and win it. In the lead-up to the tournament, most of them were even competing against each other for a place in the squad.

However, credit has to be given where it is due. Over the past nine months, the BCCI has had several zonal camps from which the players were shortlisted to the main camp at the National Cricket Academy. There they trained under the same coach — Nooshin. Players got to spend a lot of time together and bond. And before travelling to South Africa, they played a quadrangular series with Sri Lanka and West Indies and bilaterals against New Zealand at home and the hosts SA. To be precise, none of the other top teams had as much game-time together as India had had.

Coming to the coach — Nooshin. She has not lost a single tournament in the last two seasons whether it is with Railways in the domestic circuit or in the Women’s T20 Challenge last year. But before going to the WC, she knew the challenges. She was not going to take any team lightly and expected a few upsets along the way as well. Which is what happened too. And as Shafali said, she was there with the team every single day to remind them why they are there and what the final goal was.

Perhaps, the biggest takeaway from this triumph is the kind of talent pool that is there in the country. When Shafali and Richa were included in the squad at the last minute without spending much time in any of the earlier camps, it raised a lot of eyebrows. But this group of teenagers smashed all the doubts with every single match through the tournament. It was Shweta who finished as the top run scorer with 297 runs at a strike rate of 139.43 in seven innings. Shafali was third on the list, with Soumya and Trisha stepping up in crucial matches. And then there are Parshavi Chopra, the second leading wicket-taker with 11 scalps, Mannat Kashyap and Archana Devi — the trio who spun a web around opponent batters.

In a month where the BCCI has become Rs 5,650.99 crore richer with the inaugural Women’s Premier League, this batch of U19 cricketers has painted a picture at the global stage of what kind of talent India have and how they are likely to dominate world cricket in the next decade. Nooshin summed it up perfectly after the match. “It just shows the kind of depth we have and what is there for us in the future. The most special thing about this team is their belief. The team believes… We have been waiting for a very long time for a cup and it’s gonna be the U-19 who’s giving it first, so it’s the future and we have a very good future,” she said.

Everything about the U19 Women’s T20 World Cup was going to be historic. It was happening for the first time. For the past 15 days, irrespective of where each team finished and how each player performed, they are all going to be a part of history. But in the end, there is only one winner — India. They have turned a new page in the history of Indian women’s cricket.

Brief scores: England Women U-19 68 (Ryana 19; Titas 2/6, Parshavi 2/13, Archana 2/17) lost to India Women U-19 69/3 (Soumya 24 n.o, Trisha 24).

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

** Mesmerising Beating Retreat ceremony brings an end to Republic Day celebrations

A drone show and a 3-D anamorphic projection show cancelled due to bad weather.

With rain drops falling and foot-tapping music playing on the ground, the Beating Retreat ceremony was held on Sunday at Vijay Chowk opposite the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, marking an end to the four-day Republic Day celebrations.

While the audience and performers remained undeterred by the constant rain, a drone show, said to be India’s biggest with 3,500 indigenous drones, and a 3-D anamorphic projection show on the facade of the North and South Blocks had to be cancelled due to bad weather.

The ceremony began with fanfare by buglers and the massed band playing ‘Agniveer’ tune after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Pandey, and the tri-service chiefs welcomed President Droupadi Murmu.

As many as 29 captivating and foot-tapping Indian tunes based on classical ragas were played by the music bands of the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the State police and Central Armed Police Force (CAPF).

After the Pipes and Drums band played tunes like ‘Kedar Nath’, ‘Queen of Satpura’, and ‘Konkan Sundari’, the CAPF band’s ‘Pyari Bhumi’ and ‘Gangotri’ set the mood of the evening.

The Air Force’s band played ‘Aprajey Arjun’, ‘Charkha’, ‘Vayu Shakti’, ‘Swadeshi’.

Fascinating ‘Ekla Cholo Re’, ‘Hum Taiyyar Hai’, and ‘Jai Bharati’ were played by the band of the Navy with sailors making warship and submarine formations, receiving cheer from the public.

The Army’s band played ‘Shankhnaad’, ‘Sher-e-Jawan’, ‘Bhupal’, ‘Agranee Bharat’, and ‘Young India’, ‘Kadam Kadam Badhaye Ja’, ‘Drummers Call’, and ‘Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon’ and made formations to depict the National War Memorial and Central Vista.

Following the separate performances from the bands of the three Armed Forces, were the massed bands mesmerising the audience with tunes such as ‘Kadam Kadam Badhaye Ja’ and ‘Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon’.

The ceremony and the rain both ended with the lowering of the flag and buglers playing ‘Sare Jahan Se Acha’ as per the tradition.

Technological prowess

The drone show, as per the Ministry of Defence, was expected to light up the evening sky over the Raisina Hills, weaving myriad forms of national figures/events through smooth synchronisation. It was to depict the success of the start-up ecosystem, technological prowess of the country’s youth and pave the way for future path-breaking trends.

However, an official overlooking the arrangements said the drones were to be flown form a ground inside the Rashtrapati Bhavan but it had gotten completely drenched. “Plus, water could also cause some technical glitches. So, we had to cancel the show,” he said, adding, “It looked beautiful and majestic during the rehearsals.”

According to the Ministry, the Beating Retreat ceremony traces its origins to the early 1950s when Major Roberts of the Indian Army indigenously developed the unique ceremony of display by the massed bands.

It marks a centuries-old military tradition, when the troops ceased fighting, sheathed their arms and withdrew from the battlefield and returned to the camps at sunset at the sounding of the Retreat, it said in a statement.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)