In a push for safe drinking water, Puri has become the first city in the country to have city-wide safe drinking tap water. People in Odisha’s temple town Puri can drink water directly from the tap and there is no need to store or filter the water as the facility is available round the clock. …

Global plastics production declined in 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, only the third time since World War II that output has fallen. Plastic output has only fallen twice previously, as a result of the oil crisis in 1973 and during the financial crisis in 2008. Reuters Worldwide output slipped to 367 million tonnes last year from 368 …

In a massive defence push, India has moved at least 50,000 additional troops to its border with China amidst an offensive military posture against the world’s second-biggest economy. India has sought to ease tensions with Islamabad and concentrate primarily on countering Beijing since the deadliest India-China fighting in decades last year. India has moved  troops and fighter jet squadrons to …

Though the Centre has suggested that there isn’t any evidence that the third wave of COVID will affect children, it has planned to noculate 80 per cent of the 130 million children aged between 12-18 years. For this, the government needs to procure at least 210 million doses of a two-dose vaccine. There appears to be no substantial evidence to …

In a worrying development, the deadly Delta variant of COVID-19, has mutated into a version that could possibly be resistant to monoclonal antibodies cocktail used in COVID-19 treatment, The Times of India has reported. The Delta variant (B.1.617.2) of SARS-CoV-2 was first detected in India in October 2020 and has been classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a …

Since March, over 400 US colleges and universities have announced students get Covid-19 vaccinations, ahead of the Autumn semester but those who have been inoculated with India’s indigenous Covaxin or the Russian-made Sputnik V are being asked to re-vaccinate as these vaccines have not yet been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO). Milloni Doshi, a 25-year-old student from India, …

The National Commission of Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) told the Supreme Court that there are 9,346 children, who have been abandoned, orphaned or lost a parent to the COVID-19 pandemic as per the data submitted to it by different states till May 29. The Maharashtra government, which filed a separate note before a bench of Justices L N Rao …

The Serum Institute of India (SII) has applied to the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) seeking permission for a test licence to manufacture COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V in the country. The Pune-based firm, which is producing Covishield, has also sought a test license for analysis and examination. File Photo Presently, Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine is being manufactured in India …

A major clash broke out between police and protesting farmers here in Hisar on Sunday after the latter protested against Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. The protests started in Hisar where CM Khattar was inaugurating a COVID facility. Reports suggest police used tear gas to disperse the farmers and also lathi-charged on them. Dear Indians, you need not to see …

Fourteen doctors working at community and primary health centres in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao have tendered their resignation alleging misbehaviour and mental harassment by administration officers. The doctors, however, maintained that their COVID duties will not be affected till talks are going on with the district magistrate and the chief medical officer over the resignations. The fourteen doctors, who are in-charge …