NEWS

The health ministry on Thursday side-stepped a question on the long-pending approval for emergency use of Covaxin by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which is inconveniencing many who plan to travel abroad.

Responding to a question about the delay in the approval even as Chinese vaccines have secured the UN agency’s approval, and whether Covaxin can be approved in the upcoming meeting of the WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation (SAGE) scheduled to meet on October 5, Bhushan said: “SAGE is a scientific grouping within WHO. Its meetings are decided by WHO. So, we would not like to comment on the date or timings of SAGE meetings.”

Prime Minister's  Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situation Fund (PM-CARES Fund), a charitable trust under the law, has told Delhi High Court that the trust’s fund is not a fund of the Government of India and its amount does not go in the Consolidated Fund of India.

“Irrespective of whether the trust is a “State” or other authority within the meaning of Article 12 of the Constitution of India and or whether it is a 'public authority' within the meaning of section 2[h] of Right to Information Act, Section 8 in general and that of provisions contained in sub section [e] and [j], in particular, of the Right to Information Act, it is not permissible to disclose third party information,” Pradeep Kumar Srivastava, an Under Secretary at the PMO said in a reply.

Ahead of the reconstitution of the 24 Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committees (DRSCs) of the two Houses of the Parliament, Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu has desired that members of Rajya Sabha be nominated on these committees based on their interest and participation in the meetings held over last year.

To assist parties in factoring in the attendance criteria before nominating an MP to a DRSC, the Rajya Sabha Secretariat has compiled the details of the participation of 243 MPs from 32 parties, independents and nominated members in 361 meetings of these committees held between September 2020 and August 2021.

PM Narendra Modi on Wednesday urged the global community to keep the supply chain of raw material for Covid vaccines open as India is ramping up production capacities to be able to resume supplies to other countries.

The PM also underlined the need to ease international travel through mutual recognition of vaccination certificates, in order to address the impact of the pandemic on the economy. “We also need to focus on addressing the pandemic’s economic effects. To that end, international travel should be made easier through mutual recognition of vaccination certificates,” Modi said, addressing the global Covid summit.