LEAD

Even if the full implementation of all ‘net-zero’ pledges and announcement to date are taken into account, in addition to the updated ‘unconditional’ climate actions, warming over the 21st century will not meet the Paris Agreement goal with United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in its analysis on Tuesday projecting it to be merely limited to 2.1°C — marginally higher than 2°C goal but much above the aspirational target of 1.5°C — under the best case scenario.

Though action on ‘conditional’ targets will put the rise limited at 1.9°C from the pre-industrial level (1850-1900), the chances of it remains quite bleak considering the resistance of affluent nations to mobilise adequate finance to support developing countries — a condition put forward by many countries.

India has retained its spot in the top 10 best performing countries for the third year in a row in the global Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) released by Germanwatch on the side-lines of the COP26 on Tuesday.

The report noted that no country performed well enough in all index categories to achieve an overall very high rating in CCPI. Therefore, once again, the top three places in the overall ranking remain empty. Denmark, placed 4th, is the highest ranked country in CCPI 2022, but it does not perform well enough to achieve an overall very high rating. Thus India, at 10th slot, is the seventh country.

India, significantly, maintained its 10th position despite pandemic-hit operational difficulties which saw some regulatory flexibility to put the country's economy back on track.

Children may have to wait for some more time to get vaccinated against Covid-19 as the government will start immunisation for kids only after Bharat Biotech's Covaxin is approved for use which might take a few more weeks, a senior official told TOI.

The government is concerned that supplies of Zy-CoV-D — a three-dose vaccine given emergency use authorisation (EUA) for children between 12-17 years — may not be adequate to begin inoculating children. Covaxin, currently in use for adults, has already been recommended for use in children of 2-18 years. However, the final approval for EUA is pending with the DCGI. The regulator has been cautious in its approach as the vaccinations concern young children.

Assembly elections in five states on its mind, the BJP's national executive meeting here on Sunday saw Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath proposing the party's political resolution that praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, with the chief ministers of the three other states pitching in as well.

The resolution also accused the opposition of "opportunism" and acting with a mindset of "extreme hate", while predicting a big win for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur due to the development works of its state governments and the party's organisational strength.

Asked about the decision to pick Adityanath to propose the resolution, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman retorted, "Why not", while praising his work as chief minister and noting that he heads India's largest state.

New Delhi: As many as 11 coronavirus patients were killed after a major fire broke out in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the district civil hospital in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar city on Saturday, officials said. The blaze erupted around 11 am in the ICU where 20 COVID-19 patients, many of them senior citizens and some on ventilator or oxygen, were undergoing treatment. Ahmednagar city is located 120 km from Pune.

The fire was doused around 1.30 pm, said chief fire officer of the city civic body Shankar Misal, adding that a short circuit was suspected to be the cause though it was yet to be confirmed.

After the incidents of fire at hospitals treating COVID-19 patients elsewhere, fire audits had been ordered across the state. As per Ahmednagar district collector Rajendra Bhosale, such an audit had been carried out at this hospital too. But according to Misal, after the audit, the work of installing necessary safety systems was incomplete due to "want of funds".