Month: September 2021

Prime Minister’s Address at the Plenary Session of the 21st Meeting of SCO Council of Heads of State

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At the outset, let me congratulate President Rahmon on his successful Presidency of the SCO Council. The Tajik Presidency has managed the organization efficiently in a very challenging global and regional environment. In this year of the 30th anniversary of Tajikistan’s independence, on behalf of India, I extend my heartiest congratulations and best wishes to all Tajik brothers and sisters, and to President Rahmon. Excellencies, This year we are also celebrating the 20thanniversary of SCO. It is a matter of happiness that new friends are joining us on this auspicious…

PM to interact with healthcare workers and beneficiaries of Covid vaccination programme in Goa on 18th September

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Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will interact with healthcare workers and beneficiaries of Covid vaccination programme, on completion of 100% first dose coverage for the adult population in Goa, on 18th September, 2021 at 10:30 AM via video conferencing.   The efforts undertaken by the state government that resulted in successful vaccination coverage include organisation of successive TikaUtasvs for community mobilization and grassroot outreach, targeted vaccination for priority groups such as vaccination at workplaces, old age homes, divyangjans etc. and continuous community engagement to remove doubts and apprehensions, among others. …

Prime Minister virtually participates in 21st Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

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Prime Minister participated virtually in the 21st Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), and through video-message in the Joint SCO-CSTO Outreach Session on Afghanistan. The 21st meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State was held on 17 September 2021 in Dushanbe in hybrid format.   The meeting was chaired by H.E. Emomali Rahmon, the President of Tajikistan. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addressed the Summit via video-link.  At Dushanbe, India was represented by External Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar.  …

PM’s remarks for SCO-CSTO Outreach Summit on Afghanistan

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Let me begin by thanking President Rahmon for organizing the special meeting between SCO and CSTO on the situation in Afghanistan.   The recent developments in Afghanistan will have the greatest impact on neighboring countries like us.   And, that is why it is necessary to create a regional focus and cooperation on this issue.   In this context, we have to pay attention to four issues.   The first issue is that the transition of power in Afghanistan is not inclusive, and it has happened without negotiation.   This…

France is a vital partner in the Indo-Pacific: Anthony Blinken

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In what appears to be a damage control exercise, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday that the United States welcomes European countries to be playing an important role in the Indo-Pacific, while also saying that France in particular is a vital partner.   Blinken was speaking at a news conference after meetings between the U.S. and Australian foreign and defense ministers in Washington. This was a day after the United States and Britain said they would provide Australia with the technology and capability to deploy nuclear-powered submarines.…

US, UK, Australia sign security alliance to counter China’s growing hegemony

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To counter China’s growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region, the US, UK and Australia have signed a new trilateral security alliance. Hours before the signing, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison called up Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inform him about the pact that was going to be announced, according to sources.   Having unveiled the ambitious security initiative, US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, in a joint statement, said that the signing of this alliance will promote stability in the Indo-Pacific…

MyGov launches Planetarium Innovation Challenge for Indian start-ups and tech entrepreneurs

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MyGov India, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), has launched the Planetarium Innovation Challenge for Indian start-ups and tech entrepreneurs last week.The challenge aims to bring together the tech firms and Start-ups (based out of India) with the potential to build an indigenous planetariums system software using latest technologies including Augmented Reality (A.R.), Virtual Reality (V.R.) and Merged Reality (M.R.).   Inspired by the Chandrayaan launches,Indian Space Research Organization conducted the ISRO Quiz competition 2019 in collaboration with MyGov whereseveral schools, parents and enthusiastic mentors made it…

Intravacc launches hybrid business model to drive innovation and growth

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Bilthoven, The Netherlands, 16 September 2021 – Intravacc, a global leader in translational research and the development of vaccines against infectious diseases and therapeutic vaccines, today launches its new hybrid business model that should lead to further innovation and sustainable growth over the next five years. On the one hand, Intravacc’s new business model leans on contract research and small-scale GMP production for clinical research on vaccine efficacy and safety (CDMO), and on the other hand on the independent development and commercialization of proprietary intranasally administered vaccine candidates through licensing agreements. Potential…

Global food prices hike could drive consumers away from restaurant visits

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“Higher food prices combined with the ongoing economic impact of the pandemic will inevitably shift consumer spending priorities away from non-essential/luxury items like visits to hospitality venues, bars and restaurants and towards making savings on the household budget with more discount grocery shopping. Restaurants could be affected by this as more people may opt to stay at home and cook rather than going out for a meal. There are a growing number of people cooking from scratch at home with a recent GlobalData survey confirming that *91% of respondents globally said…

Anil Kapoor reacts to absurd comments tweeted by his fans

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Actor Anil Kapoor who recently appeared on Arbaaz Khan’s talk show Pinch, reacted to fans who said that he ‘lives with his plastic surgeon’ and ‘drinks snake blood’ to stay young.    He was the latest guest to feature on the show, in which Arbaaz Khan reads mean tweets and comments to celebrities to their face, and asks them to react. Anil had to face comments that described him and his daughter Sonam Kapoor as ‘shameless’ and made fun of his appearance.    In one segment, Anil was showed video recordings of people…