Thursday, September 10, 2026
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S Aparna new Union Pharma Secretary

S Aparna

New Delhi (NVI): S Aparna, a 1988-batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre, today assumed charge as Secretary in the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.

She has replaced Dr PD Vaghela who superannuated on September 30, 2020.

Aparna was appointed to the post of Executive Director, World Bank in 2017, representing the Constituency of India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, according to Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers statement.

In 2019, she was given a proforma promotion as Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) while she was on deputation in Washington DC as Executive Director, World Bank, the statement added.

She has also served as the Principal Secretary to the then Gujarat CM.

Born in 1963, the new Pharma Secretary has also served both Centre and the state on several important assignments including in the Department of finance, planing , Urban and Housing Development, Textile etc.

-CHK

India, Myanmar hold foreign office consultations, discuss range of issues

New Delhi (NVI): Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla held a virtual meeting with Soe Han, Permanent Secretary of Myanmar, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, today, during which he assured the neighbouring country that it is an integral element of India’s Neighbourhood First and Act East policies.

The 19th round of Foreign Office Consultations between India and Myanmar was held through virtual mode, a statement by Ministry of External Affairs said.

“FS @harshvshringla and Myanmar Permanent Secretary U Soe Han @SoeHan11 had a useful exchange on a range of issues at the India-Myanmar Foreign Office Consultations today (Thursday). Myanmar is an integral element of India’s Neighbourhood First and Act East policies,” MEA Anurag Srivastava tweeted.

During the consultations, both sides reviewed the entire gamut of relations, including border cooperation and upgradation of border infrastructure, status of India’s ongoing development projects in Myanmar, trade and investment ties, power and energy cooperation, consular matters and cultural cooperation, including the ongoing restoration work on earthquake damaged pagodas in Bagan, the statement added.

Cooperation in regional and multilateral fora was also discussed.

Both sides expressed satisfaction that despite the ongoing COVID pandemic, meetings in several areas, including power, energy etc., have been held through virtual mode, reflecting the depth of the bilateral engagement, it added.

It was noted that the next Joint Trade Committee Ministerial Meeting to be held on October 20, will be useful in further strengthening bilateral trade and investment relations.

Both sides also held extensive discussions on the challenges posed by COVID-19 and ways to mitigate its impact, including through vaccine development, supply of medicines, equipment and technology and capacity building.

Shringla reiterated the priority India attaches to its partnership with Myanmar in accordance with India’s ‘Neighborhood First’ and ‘Act East’ policies. He stated that India remained committed to enhancing its multifaceted cooperation with Myanmar and also to explore new avenues of cooperation.

The Permanent Secretary reaffirmed Myanmar’s commitment to further strengthen its time tested partnership with India for the mutual benefit of the two countries. He also expressed appreciation for the COVID related and development assistance extended by India to Myanmar.

He also thanked India for providing debt service relief under the G-20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative, for the period May 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020, MEA stated.

-CHK

Global climate events may have driven abrupt shifts in Indian Summer Monsoon: Study

New Delhi (NVI): The Global climate events like the Roman Warm Period, Medieval Climate Anomaly, and the Little Ice Age may have driven abrupt shifts in the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) in past 3,200 years, according to a new study.

These events also had a significant impact on India’s landscape, vegetation, and socio-economic growth.

The study by Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science & Technology (DST), shows the calculations of Total organic carbon (TOC), Total Nitrogen (TN) and depleted carbon isotope ratio values during the interval 1200 to 550 BCE which indicated wet monsoon conditions in the North-Western Himalaya.

“This condition prevailed till 450 AD, coinciding with the Roman Warm Period (RWP), followed by reduced precipitation and a weak ISM till 950 AD, But the ISM became comparatively stronger during the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA) between 950 to 1350 AD,” it added.

During the Little Ice Age, there was a pronounced reduction in ISM precipitation, as indicated by relatively low C/N ratio and decreased TOC content. The findings pointed out to revival of wet climatic conditions with a strong ISM around 1600 AD following the Little Ice Age, which prevails in present times, the study stated.

The study was carried out with lake sediments from Rewalsar Lake in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh could resolve the long debate among scientists about whether events causing monsoon variability in the past were local or global. Also, the sediments from this lake preserve signature that can be used as proxies to understand monsoon variability in the past.

This recent study was published in the journal ‘Quaternary International’, in which researchers obtained grain size data, stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen, total organic carbon (TOC), and total nitrogen data from the sediments of the lake.

They retrieved a sediment core of 15-meter length from the center of the lake at a water depth of about 6.5 meters using piston corer, which was used as a sample.

The chronology of Rewalsar Lake sediment was then established based on the Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (a form of mass spectrometry to separate a rare isotope from an abundant neighbouring mass) (AMS) 14C radiocarbon dates of fourteen samples and the age ranges from approximately 2950 years to 200 years ago.

However, the variability of ISM in historical past needs to be ascertained and the study will help understand present, and future behaviour of ISM as climate shifts and water supply has dictated flourish and demise of ancient civilizations.

-RJV

Air India One, custom made B777 aircraft for VVIP travel, arrives in Delhi

New Delhi (NVI): A custom-made B777 aircraft for VVIP travel, that will be used exclusively by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Ram Nath Kovind and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, arrived in Delhi from the US today.

Air India One is the first specially modified Boeing 777 aircraft, part of the Air India One fleet for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

According to reports, the aircraft landed in Delhi around 3.00 PM. Boeing was scheduled to deliver the aircraft in June but its delivery was delayed due to “operational issues” and Covid-19 pandemic, according to officials.

The Centre had sent a team of senior officials from the Indian Air Force and Air India for escorting the aircraft back to India and assessing the technical requirements.

The aircraft is equipped with advance communication system which allows availing audio and video communication function at mid-air without being hacked.

This is one of the two aircraft that Boeing has delivered to India. The second custom made B777 aircraft is expected at a later date. The aircraft has been manufactured at a Boeing facility in Dallas (US).

-ARK

Devyani Uttam next envoy to Cambodia

New Delhi (NVI): Devyani Uttam Khobragade has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

Khobragade is a 1999-batch Indian Foreign Service officer and is presently a Joint Secretary in the ministry.

She is expected to take up the assignment shortly, according to the MEA.

Devyani Khobragade is a doctor by training and is the daughter of retired IAS officer Uttam Khobragade, who served in the Maharashtra cadre.

-CHK

US announces $1.9 mn aid to support workers, enterprises hit by COVID-19 in India

Representational image

New Delhi (NVI): The United States government, through its US Agency for International Development (USAID), has committed $1.9 million to support vulnerable populations in India whose livelihoods have been disrupted by Covid-19.

The financial aid is aimed at helping informal sector workers and micro-enterprises affected by the pandemic in the country, in terms of job losses and shutting of businesses.

US Ambassador to India Kenneth I Juster highlighted the need to provide financial assistance to people affected by the disruption caused by COVID-19. “The global COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected those who are vulnerable and less fortunate, thereby increasing the economic challenges these groups face,” he was quoted as saying by US Embassy.

“The financial assistance from USAID, extended generously by the American people to partners in India, will support efforts to rebuild local economies and improve the livelihoods of Indians who have been hit hardest by this pandemic,” Juster added.

USAID funds will support the REVIVE alliance, founded by the Samhita-Collective Good Foundation and co-funded by the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, Omidyar Network India, and the Ford Foundation, the US Embassy said in a release.

The aid will address challenges caused by unemployment and income gaps faced by workers in the informal economy in the country.

REVIVE will launch a USD 6.85 million blended finance facility in its first phase to provide accessible and affordable capital in the form of returnable grants or loans to self-employed workers and at-risk nano and micro enterprises to either sustain their work or find alternative business opportunities, the release noted.

The facility is expected to reach between 60,000-100,000 workers and enterprises and will give preference to youth and women. It will also undertake upskilling activities for laid-off youth and informal laborers, it added.

Moreover, the Samhita-Collective Good Foundation will initiate shared-value partnerships with a range of stakeholders, including business chambers, non-banking financial companies, private enterprises, and others.

USAID support will further deepen REVIVE’s work by augmenting its secretariat strengthening strategic partnerships and offering technical assistance to partners.

However, the US government continues to demonstrate global leadership in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This financial assistance supplements over USD 11 million in assistance previously provided by USAID to bolster India’s COVID-19 response and preparedness, and the donation of 200 US-manufactured ventilators to assist in its fight against COVID-19.

-RJV/ARK

Narayan Rane tests COVID-19 positive

Narayan Rane

New Delhi (NVI): Former Chief Minister of Maharashtra Narayan Rane today informed that he has tested positive for coronavirus.

Taking to Twitter, Rane said, “My Covid-19 test is positive. I am in good health and according to the doctor’s advice I will stay in isolation for a few days.”

“Those who have come in contact with me in the last few days should take care of their health. Soon I will be back in public service,” he tweeted in Marathi.

On September 29, Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Uday Samant tested positive for COVID-19. On Twitter, the Higher Education Minister said that his health is fine and he is observing home quarantine.

Earlier, other ministers including Nitin Raut, Vishwajeet Kadam and Sunil Kedar tested positive for the virus. They all have recovered and resumed work.

Meanwhile, in terms of coronavirus cases Maharashtra is the worst affected state, it has reported 18,317 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, taking the tally to 13,84,446.

Also, 481 people succumbed to the virus, taking the death toll to 36,662. The number of active cases is now pitched at 2,59,033, as per the Ministry of Health data.

-RJV

Two soldiers killed, four injured in Pak firing along LoC in J&K’s Kupwara

Narco smuggling
Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir (File Pic)

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): Two soldiers were killed and four others were injured today in an unprovoked ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops along the Line of Control (LoC) in Nowgam sector of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, defence officials said.

Defence spokesman in Srinagar, Colonel Rajesh Kalia told NVI that Pakistan initiated an unprovoked ceasefire violation along the LoC in the Nowgam sector this morning by firing mortars and other weapons. “Two soldiers fatal. Four soldiers injured who are being evacuated. Befitting reply being given,” he said.

The loss of lives on the Indian side comes after the Army lost a soldier in the Mankote sector of Poonch last night in heavy firing from the Pakistan side.

Locals in Kupwara’s border area said that huge sounds of explosions are being heard intermittently. “It started since morning and since then ground shaking explosions are taking place in Nowgam,” a group of villagers said, adding that they locked themselves inside their homes and took their livestock to safer locations.

“It seems that both armies are using heavy artillery firing,” the locals said.

Pertinently, this year so far, 1,900 CFVs have taken place, which is the highest in the past three years.

-ARK

SC accepts DGCA’s plea on airfare refund

R-Day violence

New Delhi (NVI): The Supreme Court today accepted proposal made by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) regarding the refund of airfare to passengers for tickets booked during the COVID-19 lockdown.

The top court also said in case, airlines are not in a position to refund the tickets, they should issue credit shell where 0.5 per cent monthly interest will accrue till it is used.

If a passenger has booked a ticket between March 25 to May 24 for travel during the lockdown period and seeks refund, the airline shall refund the full amount collected without any cancellation charges, the court said.

However, the refund shall be made within a period of three weeks from the date of cancellation. “The airlines shall make all endeavours to refund the collected amount to the passenger within 15 days from today,” the court noted.

If tickets have been booked through a travel agent, full refund shall be given by the airlines and the amount shall be passed on immediately by the agent to the passengers. Even for international travel, when tickets have been booked on an Indian carrier and the booking is ex-India, immediate refund shall be made.

Meanwhile, the passengers who booked tickets at any period of time but for travel after May 24, refund of fares shall be governed by the provisions of Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR).

-RJV

PM to inaugurate Atal Tunnel on Oct 3

New Delhi (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate India’s strategic Atal Tunnel, the highest highway tunnel in the world, at Rohtang on October 3, the PMO said in a statement today.

The PM will inaugurate the 9.02 Km long tunnel which connects Manali to Lahaul-Spiti valley throughout the year, at 10 AM on Saturday. Earlier, the valley was cut off for about 6 months each year owing to heavy snowfall.

The Tunnel is built with ultra-modern specifications in the Pir Panjal range of Himalayas at an altitude of 3000 meters (10,000 Feet) from the Mean Sea Level (MSL).

The tunnel reduces the road distance by 46 Kms between Manali and Leh and the time by about 4 to 5 hours.

The South Portal (SP) of Atal Tunnel is located at a distance of 25 Km from Manali at an altitude of 3060 Mtrs, while the North Portal (NP) of the tunnel is located near village Teling, Sissu, in Lahaul Valley at an altitude of 3071 meters.

It is horse shoe shaped, single tube double lane tunnel with a roadway of 8 meters. It has an overhead clearance of 5.525 meters.

The tunnel is 10.5-metre wide and has a 3.6 x 2.25 meters fire proof emergency egress tunnel built into the main tunnel itself.

Atal Tunnel has been designed for traffic density of 3000 cars per day and 1500 trucks per day with max speed of 80 km/hr.

It has the state-of-the-art electromechanical system including semi transverse ventilation system, SCADA controlled firefighting, illumination and monitoring system. 

-ARK

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