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November 25, 2017 2:59 am The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) on Friday stated that it has capped prices of 51 essential medicines, including those used for the treatment of cancer, pain, heart conditions and skin problems. According to an NPPA official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the prices have been slashed in the range of 6 to 53 per cent. Through separate notifications, the drug price regulator has notified ceiling prices of 36 medicines. Moreover, it has revised the ceiling prices of 15 medicines. Drugs whose ceiling prices have been capped include colon or rectal cancer treatment drug oxaliplatin (injection 100mg), Japanese encephalitis vaccine and measles rubbela vaccine. Ceiling prices of drugs, including anaesthetic sevoflurane, Phytomenadione (Vitamin K1) and tuberculosis prevention medicine BCG vaccine have been revised. NPPA fixes ceiling price of essential medicines that are listed in Schedule I of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order (DP...

Sat, Nov 25 2017. 12 46 AM IST New Delhi: India could have a vaccine for the dreaded dengue as early as end 2019, according to drug maker Panacea Biotec, which has secured permission to conduct clinical trials for the vaccine in India. Panacea Biotec will start clinical trials on humans by early 2018, a spokesperson said, adding that it has received permission to conduct phase I/II trials from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI). The vaccine for the mosquito-borne disease, which has killed at least 216 people in India so far this year, is critical to drive down the number of deaths caused by the disease and lower out-of-pocket costs of patients. “As dengue is a big challenge for India and a vaccine is direly required, we have given a go-ahead for trials for dengue vaccine by TDB and Panacea Biotec,” said G.N. Singh, DCGI. “We are facilitating the trials in a speedy manner. As a regulator, we are ensuring that the vaccine is effective and safe for the people.” ...

New Delhi:  There has been a loss of $3 billion in the last one year due to fraud in the banking sector and the linking of bank accounts with Aadhaar can drastically reduce such frauds, A.B. Pandey, chief executive of the Unique Identification Authority of India ( UIDAI), said on Friday. “There has been $3 billion loss in the last one year due to banking fraud. If every bank account was verified with Aadhaar then this would not have been possible. Every fraudster would try to take the money out from one account to another, but whichever is the beneficiary account if that account is verified with Aadhaar, it will be caught,” he said, while speaking at the fifth Global Conference on Cyber Space (GCCS). Around 558 million bank accounts have already been linked with Aadhaar. The total number of bank accounts in the country as per estimates is around 1.1 billion, he added. Various banks reported 4,851 cases of fraud involving about Rs 23,902 crore during 2016-17, the finance min...

Anindya Upadhyay New Delhi:  In a bid to exceed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s climate pledges, India announced that it will tender enough renewable energy projects over the next three years to surpass 200 gigawatts of green capacity build by 2022. India declared a three-year program towards tenders for renewable energy projects that will meet its original target of 175 gigawatts of clean-energy capacity within five years, in addition to plans to spur local solar equipment manufacturing that will help push past the goal. It’s also looking at ways to export more wind turbines, a measure that may benefit Suzlon Energy Ltd. “Our renewable road-map doesn’t include plans for floating solar projects and offshore wind installations, and we will comfortable exceed 200 gigawatts by 2022,” power minister R.K. Singh said in New Delhi. With renewable energy targets second only to those set by the government of China, India has a long way to go from a current base of 60 gigawatts to...

Nov 24, 2017 NEW DELHI: India has conducted a major military exercise in the strategically-located Andaman and Nicobar Island archipelago, which with requisite force-levels and infrastructure, can effectively act as a pivot to counter China's strategic moves in the Indian Ocean Region + (IOR) as well as ensure security of sea lanes converging towards the Malacca Strait The "Defence of A&N Islands Exercise" (DANX), with fighters, heavy-lift transport aircraft, warships, infantry combat vehicles, special forces and regular troops, was conducted from November 20 to 24 to fine-tune operational drills and synergy among the Army, Navy and IAF in the region. The tri-Service A&N Command (ANC), which was set up in October 2001, is the country's only theatre command, with all the manpower and assets of the Army, Navy and IAF placed under one operational commander. But the ANC has suffered from relative neglect due to turfs wars, lack of resources, enviro...

The Economic Times November 24, 2017 Standard & Poor's (S&P) on Friday maintained its sovereign rating on India constant at 'BBB-', while keeping its outlook for India stable. It added that downward pressure on the ratings could emerge if GDP growth disappoints.  Here's the full text of the rationale S&P gave for the status quo:  OVERVIEW  Despite two quarters of weaker-than-expected growth, India's economy is forecast to grow robustly in 2018-2020 and foreign exchange reserves will continue to rise.  Nevertheless, sizable fiscal deficits, a high net general government debt burden, and low per capita income detract from the sovereign's credit profile.  We are affirming our 'BBB-' long-term and 'A-3' short-term sovereign credit ratings on India.  The stable outlook reflects our view that, over the next two years, growth will remain strong, India will maintain its sound external accounts position, and fiscal ...

Times of India November 25, 2017 NEW DELHI: Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) will soon help agencies engaged in coastal and maritime security to track suspicious vessels and boats through satellite imagery. The initiative, under which Isro will supply 1,000 transponders by March next year for satellite monitoring of boats, is aimed at preventing a 26/11 attack-type infiltration from the sea route. While automatic identification system will monitor boats measuring above 20 metres, satellite monitoring is proposed for the sub-20m boats, a home ministry official said on Friday. The infrastructure for tighter monitoring of suspicious vessels approaching the Indian coast is coming up fast, with 46 coastal radars and 74 automatic ID systems installed. Colour coding of boats is also being undertaken by the coastal states and UTs for easier monitoring in the high seas and on the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL). The aforesaid measures are part of hom...

The Economic Times December 5, 2017 As the time for general elections in Pakistan, scheduled for 2018 approaches, it’s the army, more than the political parties, which is positioning itself to see that a government of its choice assumes office, after the elections. Nawaz Sharif, the only Pakistani politician, who has a strong enough political base in the country and particularly in Punjab, has been debarred from elections, by the higher judiciary, which held Sharif guilty on charges of unaccounted earnings.  he team appointed by the judiciary to investigate the charges against Sharif strangely included military intelligence officials, with no investigative experience. With Asif Zardari also facing corruption allegations, the only other national party, the PPP, is feeling the heat in its only remaining stronghold in Sind. It has lost its influence almost irreparably in Punjab, from where over 60% of Parliamentarians are elected. Two major political developments occurred ...

The Wire December 4, 2017 New Delhi: It was said to be the biggest scam of independent India – the 2G spectrum case – which candidate Narendra Modi, in the run up to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, made a by-word for crony capitalism under the United Progressive Alliance. Remember, the Central Bureau of Investigation’s star asset was billionaire Anil Dhirubhai Ambani (ADA) – who was granted the status of a prosecution witness by the court. The understanding was that he could assist in the prosecution case against his own executives, who are accused in the 2G case of creating a web of shell companies within the ADA group that allegedly aided in transferring money to companies run by Karunanidhi’s family members. Nearly six years after the first 2G scam charge-sheet was filed by the CBI in 2011, the long-drawn trial is in its closing stages. On December 5, special judge O.P. Saini will set a date for the court’s judgment. When the verdict comes, one key question of public inter...

The Times of India December 5, 2017 HYDERABAD: Telangana government directed all district collectors on Monday to take stringent action against the sale and supply of the herbicide tolerance (HT) cotton as it allegedly contains carcinogenic material. The seeds produced by US giant Monsanto have been cultivated across the state, prompting the government to ask authorities to destroy the produce. In a letter dated 4, December, 2017, principal secretary C Parthasarathi told district collectors that unapproved herbicide tolerant trait (BGIII) developed under the commercial name of Round-up Ready Flex (RRF) has got released into the field. "It is spreading rapidly and contaminating the other cotton hybrids and causing threat to the biological resources besides causing health hazards," Parthasarathi said. Reference- https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/carcinogenic-cotton-seed-enters-telangana/articleshow/61924248.cms

Financial Express December 5, 2017 Like Europe, other countries that import grapes from India, including China, Indonesia and Russia, have decided to issue stricter residue monitoring plan (RMP) norms to the country. India has been attempting to make inroads into new export markets such as China, Russia, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.However, these countries have now decided to come up with norms for Indian grapes which may affect the export prospects of India this season. The issue was discussed in a recent meet held at the National Research Centre for Grapes ( NRCG) in Pune that was attended by senior officials of APEDA, MSAMB and grape exporters, among others. NRCG director SD Sawant said that some of the norms are stricter than those set by the European Union. A couple of years ago, the EU had agreed to retain the residue levels of chlormequat chloride (CCL), a plant growth regulator, at 0.05 parts per million (ppm), for a period of two years. In August the same year, the EU ...