Page 113 - India

G20 meet: Members support 3 priorities for health sector put forth by India

India put forth three priorities for the health sector in the second G20 Health Working Group meeting and received support from participating members, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said on Wednesday. The three priorities are health emergencies prevention, preparedness and response with focus on one health and antimicrobial resistance (AMR); strengthening cooperation in the pharmaceutical sector with focus on access to and availability of safe, effective, quality and affordable medical countermeasures such as vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics; and digital health innovations and solutions to aid universal health coverage and improve healthcare service delivery. Bhushan said that a draft of the declaration was shared with the participating members and preliminary suggestions have been received. It will be further worked upon before being passed in the G20 ministerial meeting to be held in August in Gujarat's Gandhinagar. The first meeting of the G20 Health Working Group w

KKR sees India, South Korea as sweet spots amid realty crisis: Report

Real estate investment vehicles overseen by KKR and its rivals like Blackstone Inc. have come under pressure, with many investors requesting their money back

Global population reaches 8 bn, UN urges to focus on reproductive rights

Concerns have also been flagged over the size of the world population, which is expected to peak around 10.4 billion during the 2080s

India's focus on digital health can serve as model for others: UN official

With India assuming the G20 presidency, the country's focus on digital health can serve as a model for other countries to replicate or initiate similar programmes which can accelerate their own digital health initiatives and improve health outcomes for their populations, a senior United Nations official said on Wednesday. Dr Karin Kllander, senior health adviser and chief of the Digital Health and Information Systems Unit in UNICEF Health Programme, said some potential strategies for replicating India's digital health interventions in other countries include developing a comprehensive digital health strategy, building a supportive regulatory environment and fostering public-private partnerships. She was speaking at the second G20 health working group meeting here. "India's success in digital health can be attributed to a well-defined digital health strategy that aligns with the country's health priorities. Other countries can replicate this approach by developing their own ...

Cries grow louder about depleting resources as India becomes most populous

Standing on the terrace of a three-storied building in Sangam Vihar, Asia's largest unauthorised colony, Dula Khan, 63, appears to be at a loss of words. But he gathers himself soon and looks at other roof-tops in the densely populated area, close to the Asola Wildlife Sanctuary, where the soaring skyline tells a distinct story of a delicate balance between rising population and available natural resources. Spread over an area of 5 sq km, Sangam Vihar has an estimated population of about 12 lakh and most of the residents are migrants from economically weaker sections. A large chunk of them depends on water tankers to meet their daily needs. Many blocks lack sewer lines and often the sewage spills onto the streets. There isn't an inch that has not been concretised and the water table has already gone down, says Khan. But he is worried about another issue threatening social harmony. Pointing towards the graveyard just 100 metres from him, Khan, the general secretary of the Sangam Vih

India logs 10,542 Covid-19 infections, active cases climb to 63,562

India has logged 10,542 new coronavirus infections, while the active cases have increased to 63,562, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday. The death toll has increased to 5,31,190 with 38 deaths, which includes 11 reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated. The Covid case tally was recorded at 4.47 crore (4,48,45,401) The daily positivity rate was recorded at 4.39 per cent and the weekly positivity rate was pegged at 5.1 per cent. The active cases now comprise 0.14 per cent of the total infections and the national COVID-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 98.67 per cent, the ministry said. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,42,50,649, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.18 per cent. According to the ministry's website, 220.66 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive.

Can India cope? What being the world's most-populous nation means

Not only does India have more people, it also has one of the youngest populations, UN data shows. More than half its population is under the age of 30, with a median age of 28

India overtakes China to become world's most populous country: UN report

The UN's World Population Prospects 2022 had also projected India to surpass China as the world's most populous country during 2023

India, China snap up Russian oil in April above 'price cap': Report

The advocates of the cap say it reduces revenues for Russia while allowing oil to flow, but its opponents say it is too soft to force Russia to backtrack on its activities in Ukraine

India-Israel FTA should be as wide as possible: Israeli Minister

The proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between Israel and India should be as wide as possible to enable more and more trade as it brings people together, Israel's Minister of Economy and Industry M K Nir Barkat said on Tuesday. The minister said he will hold discussions with the Indian side regarding an FTA between the two countries, negotiations for which have been going on for over a decade. "As a government to government I am going to be proposing to your ministers to naturally expand the free trade agreement, focus on business development in a smart way, share knowledge and experience as much as possible," Barkat said at a CII event during his visit here. He said both sides will have to focus on complementary areas for the proposed free trade deal where India and Israel hold a competitive advantage. "It (FTA) should be as wide as possible to enable more and more trade as free trade brings the people together," Barkat said. He added that Isreal has a lot to offer in sectors li

India's fight against climate change will unite the whole world: Om Birla

India's fight against climate change will unite the entire world, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla told a Danish parliamentary delegation on Tuesday. Birla also said he is hopeful that the proposed "P20" summit in the near future would see purposeful dialogue on the relevance of parliamentary governance and democratic values and serve to benefit the entire world. Members of the Danish Parliamentary Committee for European Affairs, led by its chairman Niels Fleming Hansen, called on the speaker at the Parliament House. Interacting with the members of the delegation, Birla laid emphasis on regular parliamentary exchanges between India and Denmark. He suggested that a regular process of dialogue should be developed between the two countries to ensure that both the parliaments can learn from each other and share best practices. According to a statement issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat, Birla referred to the Green Strategic Partnership between India and Denmark signed in September 2020, not

Volkswagen plans to bring its first electric SUV in India next year

German carmaker Volkswagen plans to bring its first electric vehicle in India next year with the launch of premium electric SUV ID.4 to tap the opportunity in the fast growing electric mobility space in the country, a senior company official said on Tuesday. By 2030, Volkswagen expects 25-30 per cent of its total sales in India to come from EVs and the rest from internal combustion engine vehicles. The company, which has introduced a slew of new variants of its existing conventional engine models, Taigun and Virtus, is looking at a sales growth of 40-45 per cent this year. Volkswagen Passenger Cars India Brand Director Ashish Gupta said the company is following a two-pronged strategy of premiumisation and electrification to strengthen presence and enhance its position in India. "Our strategy is very clear. One is premiumisation and the second has to be naturally in line with global positioning, electrification," he told PTI here in an interaction. Asserting that electrification ha

UK taking Indian mission's security 'extremely seriously', Parliament told

The British government takes the security of the Indian High Commission in London "extremely seriously" and robustly responds to criminal incidents at diplomatic missions, the House of Commons has been informed. In response to a written parliamentary question by Indian-origin Labour MP Navendu Mishra, UK Security Minister Tom Tugendhat said on Monday that the government finds the criminal damage and assaults on staff at the Indian High Commission in London last month unacceptable. "The government takes the protective security of the Indian High Commission extremely seriously, said Tugendhat. "The government remains committed to protecting the security of missions throughout the UK, including preventing and rapidly and robustly responding to incidents such as this. The criminal damage and assaults on staff from the India High Commission at the incident on the weekend of the 18th March were unacceptable. The police have powers to deal with such acts, he said. The Home Office minister

India believes in democratised access to digital health solution: Mandaviya

India believes in democratised access to all digital health solutions, promoting a culture of Global Public Goods', Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Tuesday. Mandaviya delivered the inaugural address at an event of the 2nd G20 Health Working Group Meeting here. The event on citizen-centric Health Delivery Ecosystems for Universal Health Coverage Leveraging Digital Health and Innovations commenced Tuesday. The event was inaugurated in the presence of Bharati Pravin Pawar, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare. India believes in democratised access to all digital health solutions, promoting a culture of Global Public Goods," Mandaviya said as he stated that the event will explore the transformative potential of digital health and innovations that can help achieve universal health coverage. Giving several examples of digital interventions that were used for the benefit of citizens, Mandaviya noted how data-driven insights were leveraged to guide COVID-19

India U-17 men's team begin Spain tour against Atletico de Madrid U-16

The India U-17 men's team will begin its preparatory tour of Spain with a match against Atletico de Madrid U-16s at the Alcala De Henares in Madrid on Wednesday. The Indians are preparing for the upcoming AFC U-17 Asian Cup in Thailand, and will play the age group teams of some of the top Spanish clubs during the ongoing tour. Head coach Bibiano Fernandes said, "The boys are very excited to be here, training in this kind of environment and facilities. They have adapted quickly to the conditions and have been working hard, and we are getting better as a team." The match against Atletico de Madrid U-16 will be a challenging affair but Fernandes maintained that the team has its eyes trained on getting up to the proper level to compete in the AFC U-17 Asian Cup. "We are well aware of the level of quality and game insight of the teams we are set to play here. At the same time, we are preparing ourselves the way we want to play in AFC keeping in mind the teams in our group stages," said

India plans to appeal against WTO panel ruling on IT tariffs: Govt

If India appeals, the case will sit in legal purgatory since the WTO's top appeals bench is no longer functioning due to US opposition to judge appointments

Initiative aimed at strengthening India's road to Olympics launched

A multi-year, systematic and synchronised programme for grassroots sports development and strengthening India's road to the Olympics has been launched. The Delhi-based Society for Transformation, Inclusion, and Recognition through Sports (STAIRS) launched its latest initiative 'One India One Goal' on Saturday with Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Pratima Bhoumik unveiling the logo and merchandise of the initiative. The programme seeks to create a participatory sports development model directly aimed at increasing the number of stakeholders, from participants to policymakers. "The 'One India One Goal' program is based on three pillars - 'Play to Play', 'Play to Win', and 'Play to Earn' - covering the complete lifecycle of a player. It will be executed in the flagship STAIRS Funnel Model of grassroots sports development," a statement from STAIRS said. As a part of the programme, STAIRS also plans to open youth clubs and promote training academies where child

In a bid to curb inequality, India eyes higher capital gains tax for rich

India's reliance on indirect taxes - levies on consumption - rather than direct taxes on capital is often cited by economists as the main culprit behind the country's poor getting left behind

From iPhone 3G to 1st retail store: Here is Apple's 15-yr journey in India

As Apple opens its first stores, here is a timeline of its journey in India, where the US firm's contract manufacturers are increasingly making iPhones

India sees marginal dip in daily Covid-19 cases, logs 7,633 infections

India has recorded 7,633 new coronavirus infections, while the active cases have increased to 61,233, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Tuesday. The death toll has increased to 5,31,152 with 11 deaths. While four deaths were reported from Delhi, one each was reported from Haryana, Karnataka and Punjab while four fatalities were reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated. The Covid case tally was recorded at 4.47 crore (4,48,34,859) The active cases now comprise 0.14 per cent of the total infections and the national COVID-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 98.68 per cent, the ministry said. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,42,42,474 while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.18 per cent. According to the ministry's website, 220.66 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive.