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Narendra Modi
The government on Thursday announced an award of Rs 10 crore to develop a drug for the treatment of sickle cell disease, which disproportionately affects India's tribal populations. Sickle cell disease is a group of inherited blood disorders that affect haemoglobin, causing red blood cells to become sickle-shaped and block the blood flow, which can lead to serious complications such as stroke, eye problems and infections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Eradication Mission on July 1, 2023, with the aim of eradicating the disease by 2047. The government aims to screen seven crore people up to 40 years of age as part of the mission. At an event to mark World Sickle Cell Day here, Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Durgadas Uikey announced the institution of the Bhagwan Birsa Munda Prize for the development of a drug to treat the disease. The minister said there is only one drug available as of now for the management of the disease. There
Birthday wishes poured in for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as he turned 55 on Thursday, with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge praising him for his dedication to the Constitution's values and compassion for the millions whose voices often go unheard. Gandhi, who is a former Congress president and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, also received warm greeting from leaders of many INDIA bloc constituents with DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin calling him his brother-in-ideals -- "bound not by blood, but by thought, vision, and purpose". In a post on X, Kharge extended birthday greetings to Gandhi. "What sets you apart is your unequivocal dedication to the Constitution's values and your deep compassion for social, political and economic justice for the millions whose voices often go unheard," the Congress chief said. "Your actions consistently reflect the Congress party's ideology of unity in diversity, harmony, and compassion. As you continue your mission t
The Congress on Thursday said it has been calling for a detailed debate on China for the last five years and hopes that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will finally agree to such a discussion in the forthcoming Monsoon session of Parliament. The opposition party also said it is important to collectively work towards a national consensus on vital national security and economic challenges posed by China's emergence as the world's dominant manufacturing power and as the world's second-largest economy. Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said, "Today is the fifth anniversary of PM Modi's infamous clean chit to China, when he said 'Na koi hamari seema mein ghus aaya hai, na hi koi ghusa hua hai' only four days after 20 of our brave soldiers gave their lives for the nation in Galwan on 15 June, 2020." This sorry episode concluded with a withdrawal agreement on October 21, 2024, under which Indian patrols require Chinese concurrence to reach their patrolling .
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said India and Croatia have agreed that whether it is Europe or Asia, solutions to problems cannot come from battlefields, asserting that dialogue and diplomacy is the only way ahead. In a joint press statement following the delegation-level talks with Croatian counterpart Andrej Plenkovic, Modi also said a plan would be made to boost defence cooperation between the two countries. Modi said he and his Croatian counterpart have decided to give a "three-time" pace to the bilateral ties. "We agree that terrorism is an enemy of humanity. Terrorism is inimical to forces that believe in democracy. We agree, whether in Europe or Asia, solutions to problems can't be found from battlefields, and dialogue and diplomacy is the only way," he said. His comments come amid an escalating situation in West Asia as the military confrontation between Israel and Iran intensified. During the meeting, the two leaders reviewed the full spectrum of India-Croatia