National
World’s first intranasal COVID19 vaccine
⇒ Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare unveiled the iNNCOVACC COVID19 vaccine on 26 January 2023 in the presence of Union Minister of State (IC) for Science and Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh.
iNNCOVACC is the world’s first intranasal COVID19 vaccine to receive approval for the primary 2-dose schedule, and as a heterologous booster dose.
Developed by:
It is developed by Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) in collaboration with Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance (BIRAC), a PSU under the Dept of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology.
- The product development and clinical trials were funded by the Department of Biotechnology and BIRAC under “Mission Covid Suraksha”.
Key Points:
- iNCOVACC is a cost effective covid vaccine which does not require syringes, needles, alcohol wipes, bandage, etc, saving costs related to procurement, distribution, storage, and biomedical waste disposal, that is routinely required for injectable vaccines.
- It utilizes a vector-based platform, which can be easily updated with emerging variants leading to large scale production, within a few months.
- These rapid response timelines combined with the ability of cost effective and easy intranasal delivery, makes it an ideal vaccine to address future infectious diseases.
- The vaccine is a recombinant replication deficient adenovirus vectored vaccine with a pre-fusion stabilised spike protein. It has been specifically formulated to allow intranasal delivery through nasal drops. The vaccine is stable at 2-8°C for easy storage and distribution.
- iNCOVACC is priced at INR 325/dose for large volume procurement by State Governments and Govt of India.
Other Points:
- National Institute of Immunology New Delhi utilised its “Human Immune Monitoring and T-cell Immunoassay Platform” to examine the vaccine-induced SARS-CoV-2-specific systemic and mucosal cellular immune responses in the trial participants. National Institute of Immunology New Delhi is an autonomous institute under the Department of Biotechnology.
- Interactive Research School for Health Affairs (IRSHA), Pune (supported by DBT BIRAC) completed the “Plaque Reduction Neutralization Assay” (PRNT) to quantify the titer of neutralising antibodies for the virus from three trial sites.
» Pertinent to mention that earlier, ZyCoV-D, the world’s first and India’s indigenously developed DNA based vaccine for Covid-19 to be administered in humans including children and adults 12 years and above.
- It was also developed in partnership with the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) in the Ministry of Science & Technology under ‘Mission Covid Suraksha’ through BIRAC, a PSU of DBT.
Commissioning of 5th Kalvari Class Submarine ‘VAGIR’
⇒ Indian Navy’s fifth stealth Scorpene class Submarine INS Vagir was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 23 January 2023 at the Naval Dockyard Mumbai.
INS Vagir would form part of the Western Naval Command’s Submarine fleet and would be another potent part of the Command’s arsenal.
Built by:
Six Scorpene Class submarines are being built in India by the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) Mumbai, under collaboration with M/s Naval Group, France.
Background:
- Vagir was launched on 12 Nov 20, under Project 75 (P75) and was delivered to Indian Navy on 20 Dec 22 post completion of sea trials.
- Vagir has the distinction of having the lowest build time among all indigenously manufactured submarines till date.
- The Scorpene Submarines are extremely potent platforms, they have advanced stealth features and are also equipped with both long-range guided torpedoes as well as anti-ship missiles. These submarines have a state-of-the-art SONAR suite and sensor suite permitting outstanding operational capabilities.
Vagir – Sand Shark:
- The Sand Shark represents ‘Stealth and Fearlessness’, two qualities that are synonymous with the ethos of a submariner.
- The motto of the submarine, ‘Saahas Shaurya Samarpan’ epitomizes the core values of Courage, Valour and Dedication.
- The motto has been imbibed by the men which inspires them to overcome adversities, to remain confident, bold and brave even in the toughest situations so as to keep the edge ‘Sharp and Ready’.
18 NH projects with a total length of 550 km in Orchha, Madhya Pradesh
⇒ Union minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari inaugurated 18 National Highway projects with a total length of 550 km in Orchha, Madhya Pradesh worth Rs 6800 crore in January 2023 in presence of Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan and other dignitaries.
Speaking on the occasion Shri Gadkari said:
- The two-decade-old demand of the local people to construct a bridge in Betwa has been fulfilled. This 665-meter-long bridge has been built at a cost of 25 crores.
- The connectivity of Orchha, Jhansi, Tikamgarh will improve with the construction of 2-lane paved shoulder bridge and footpath.
- The construction of this corridor, connectivity from Bhopal to Kanpur, Lucknow, Prayagraj, Varanasi will be good, Construction of 2-lane road with paved shoulder from Tikamgarh to Orchha will make traffic safe.
» In this program, Shri Gadkari also announced the construction of a 4-lane greenfield road of 105 km length from Bamitha to Satna at a cost of Rs 2000 crore.
- With the construction of this road, tourism of Tikamgarh, Panna, Chhatarpur, Khajuraho, Bandhavgarh National Park will get a boost.
International
Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre operations and Search & Rescue course
⇒ Indian Coast Guard (ICG) conducted a one-week Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) operations & Search and Rescue (SAR) course in Mumbai between January 16-21, 2023.
Key Points:
- The course was conducted under the aegis of Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme (ITEC) for officers and sailors of Maritime Security Agencies from six friendly countries – Bangladesh, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Myanmar and Maldives.
- A total of 22 trainees (10 officers & 12 sailors) participated in the specialised training.
- The course was modelled and designed in consonance with the best international practices primarily envisaging the Legal background domain of Maritime Search and Rescue, Planning and Coordination, Global Maritime Distress and Safety System, Lectures on Harmonisation of Aeronautical and Maritime SAR, satellite-aided SAR operations and case studies on maritime SAR incidents amongst others.
Roundtable discussion on “Opportunities in R&D and Innovation in Life Sciences at the World Economic Forum, in Davos
⇒ Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare addressed the roundtable discussion on “Opportunities in R&D and Innovation in Life Sciences at the World Economic Forum, in Davos on 18 January 2023.
Purpose:
The purpose of the meeting was to establish an affordable and accessible life sciences ecosystem, identify the gaps in the life sciences industry, extend opportunities for knowledge exchange and encouragement of innovation in R&D and identify investment opportunities to create a robust R&D and innovation ecosystem to increase the competitiveness of life sciences industry.
Highlights:
» Speaking on the occasion, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya said that a large share of global value capture (nearly 40% of a market of 6.65 trillion USD) in the life sciences sector lies in innovation-based products.
- Promoting drug discovery and innovation will unlock this value and will also enhance the industry’s contribution to Indian economy (additional USD 10-12 Bn in exports every year) and create a large pool of jobs to enhance India’s differentiation vis a vis other developing economy.
- India is taking concerted and coordinated efforts on R&D and Innovation in the Pharma-MedTech Sector to indigenously develop cutting-edge products and technologies and promoting an enabling ecosystem for innovation in this sector to become a leader in drug discovery and innovative medical devices.
In this regard, the Union Govt is focusing on three major areas:
- Strengthening the regulatory framework to facilitate innovation and research in product development. Indian regulators are now working towards establishing global harmonization in this regard, with modifications in the regulatory provisions.
- Incentivizing investments in innovation through a mix of fiscal and non-fiscal measures, thereby matching risks with remunerative financing options. Govt looking at a range of interventions that would facilitate funding support for innovation such as schemes to support investments into R&D innovation, reimbursement of R&D spending and designing appropriate fiscal incentives to promote R&D.
- Creating a facilitatory ecosystem to support innovation and cross-sectoral research as a strong institutional mechanism for sustainable growth in the research and development and innovation sector.