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India is among 140 countries that rely on the oral polio vaccine. For India, which has successfully kept naturally-occurring ‘wild’ polioviruses at bay for three whole years, a new challenge looms. India is among 140 countries that rely on the oral polio vaccine (OPV). These countries have now been asked to introduce an injectable inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) into their routine childhood immunisation programme by the end of next year.

The Hindu Ayushman project to execute lifestyle disease control programmes for women, would also be wound up. File photo: S.R. Raghunathan Official order has been issued by the Directorate of Health The Health Department has decided to wind up ‘Seethalayam’, a pilot project launched across the State  in Kerela ,to take care of women’s health and infertility problems. An official order in this regard was issued by the Directorate of Health on Wednesday. Sources said the project was wound up following financial burdens on the government. All doctors assigned to take care of the project in district Homeopathic hospitals would be called back shortly. Similarly, the Ayushman project introduced along with Seethalayam to execute lifestyle disease control programmes, too, would be wound up.

Parliamentary committee’s recommendation a shot in the arm for Haryana IAS officer Ashok Khemka In a rare act, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture has come to whistleblower Ashok Khemka’s support, ordering a Central government inquiry into the pesticide scam that the Haryana IAS officer uncovered.

The Multi-Departmental Committee on Election Intelligence, a national grid comprising revenue and security intelligence agencies constituted by the Election Commission (EC) to curb use of black money in the Lok Sabha polls, has warned of possible cash, gold and liquor trafficking via sea route.

If the expansion of the Public Distribution System results in an increase in market prices, it may counterbalance the benefits of food subsidy Passage of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) has put the Public Distribution System (PDS) at the core of the national mission to feed the hungry. The PDS, operated via “fair price” or ration shops, will distribute up to 5 kg of rice at Rs. 3 per kg.,

It would be a nightmarish scenario for the United States, if western sanctions push Russia closer to China Beneath their tough political rhetoric, European leaders are still wrestling uneasily over the ambit of punitive economic measures to be used against Russia for its role in the Ukrainian and Crimean developments.

The Centre’s rural employment guarantee scheme can be substantially improved, but it has undeniably helped Dalits, Adivasis and women find work In an era of growing globalisation and rising inequality, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) stands out as a unique attempt to provide a social safety net via a massive public works programme. The government as an employer of the last resort is an idea that has existed in policy discourse around the world for much of the 20th century, gaining most currency during the Great Depression in the United States. However, MGNREGA takes this policy to a new realm because of its massive reach, universal nature, and its initiation during a period of rapid economic growth.

1.Report exposes rights abuse by Sri Lankan forces post war A report by rights groups on Friday said there was enough evidence that the Sri Lankan military was still waging a war against Tamils.The report — published by the UK Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales and the International Truth & Justice Project, Sri Lanka — is one of the first documents to detail alleged rights abuse by the Sri Lankan armed forces in the post-war context

Night vision technology has been around for a while, but it's only really used by professionals (or professional creeps) due to its prohibitive size. But what if night vision was something you could fit into a pair of contact lenses? You could keep a pair in your bag to slip in if you were going to be walking home alone in the dark, or even use them to take a night-time jaunt through a forest without spooking all the animals. All this and more could be possible in the future thanks to a new development by researchers in the US using graphene lenses to sense “the full infrared spectrum” plus visible and ultraviolet light. "We can make the entire design super-thin," said Zhaohui  Zhong, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Michigan. "It can be stacked on a contact lens or integrated with a cell phone." Current night vision technology needs bulky cooling equipment to stop the detectors getting confused by their own hea...

India turned down a Chinese offer to help it search for the missing Malaysian airliner in an area that is the Indian Navy’s backyard. The Chinese made a request detailing the equipment and personnel aboard four vessels to enter the waters of the Andaman Sea. India has already mounted search operations in a wider maritime area including the place requested for by the Chinese following a formal request by Malaysia to scour an area of about 5,000 km in the Indian Ocean. On Friday, two of its sophisticated planes will operate from Malaysia while some from its P-8 I and C-130 Hercules squadrons are already conducting operations over the area requested by Malaysia. “In addition to Coast Guard vessels, four naval warships are at work in the Bay of Bengal, the Andaman Sea & West of Andaman Islands,” said naval officials. The Chinese had sent the request for permitting four vessels of which one was a salvage ship and two were warships for search operations in the Andaman...

Ships and aircraft on Thursday intensified search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight deep in the southern Indian Ocean, far to the west of Australia, after satellites picked up images of debris that officials said may be linked to the Boeing 777. Grainy images released by the Australian Geospatial-Intelligence Organisation showed what appeared to be debris in the vast and remote waters. One object was 24 metres long, and a second was five metres. A Norwegian ship that reached the area had not yet found any object likely to have come from flight MH370, an AFP report said. The images were captured on March 16, Australian officials said. They came to light only on Thursday because of the volume of images that had to be analysed. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said a daylong search on Thursday was conducted by two Royal Australia Air Force AP-3C Orions, a U.S. Navy P8 Poseidon, and a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 Orion over a 23,000-square km area, around 2,500 km s...

1.Russian Parliament approves treaty on Crimea The Russian Parliament has approved a treaty making Crimea part of Russia even as Ukraine proclaimed the region an “occupied territory” and threatened to go nuclear. 2.No overseas duty for Pak. troops’ Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday dismissed speculation that Pakistan was sending its troops abroad. News reports quoted him as saying in response to questions that no forces were being sent to Bahrain or Saudi Arabia and these countries had not asked for assistance. 3. My mission is to better India ties: Xi China’s President Xi Jinping said Thursday he saw improving relations with India as his “historic mission,” as the top Chinese leader met with the Indian envoy here. The Indian Ambassador to China Ashok Kantha, who began his term here in January, formally presented his credentials to Mr. Xi at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People on Thursday afternoon. 4.Obama calls on Iran to seize oppo...

Why Russia’s indefensible adventurism in Crimea may go largely unpunished There is every cause to be outraged by Russia’s annexation of Crimea, which is a brazen violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and a clear breach of international law. President Vladimir Putin’s bald-faced adventurism has been attended by a mockery of a referendum held under the shadow of Russian guns and mouthfuls of Orwellian propaganda to justify the intervention. It is asinine to draw a parallel

The satellite image of the purported Malaysian plane over Andaman Islands Going about his work nonchalantly at his office in Gachibowli, this techie probably beat search teams of various countries in finding a probable vital clue related to the missing Malaysian plane.

1.India not to support Western sanctions against Russia With Russia facing sanctions from the United States and some other countries after it annexed Crimea from Ukraine, India on Wednesday made it clear that it will not support any “unilateral measures”