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Regular Contact With Uzbekistan Drug Regulator: Health Ministry | Lokmarg

WHO Not Using Two Cough Syrups Of Noida-Based Marion Biotech In Uzbekistan

By LokMarg 12th January 2023

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended that two cough syrups made by Noida-based company Marion Biotech should not be used for children in Uzbekistan.

In a medical product alert on Wednesday, the WHO said the “substandard medical products”, manufactured by Marion Biotech, “are products that fail to meet quality standards or specifications and are therefore out of specification.”
“This WHO Medical Product Alert refers to two substandard (contaminated) products, identified in Uzbekistan and reported to WHO on 22 December 2022. Substandard medical products are products that fail to meet quality standards or specifications and are therefore out of specification,” the WHO said in an alert released on its website.

“The two products are AMBRONOL syrup and DOK-1 Max syrup. The stated manufacturer of both products is MARION BIOTECH PVT. LTD, (Uttar Pradesh, India). To date, the stated manufacturer has not provided guarantees to WHO on the safety and quality of these products,” the alert added.

Noida-based pharma Marion Biotech has come under a cloud as reports emerged about the death of children after consuming cough syrup came in from Uzbekistan.

According to WHO, laboratory analysis of samples of cough syrups, undertaken by national quality control laboratories of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Uzbekistan found both products contained unacceptable amounts of diethylene glycol and /or ethylene glycol as contaminants.

“Both of these products may have marketing authorizations in other countries in the region. They may also have been distributed, through informal markets, to other countries or regions,” the WHO alert added.

The UN health agency added that “the substandard products referenced in this Alert are unsafe and their use, especially in children, may result in serious injury or death.”

On December 22, Uzbekistan alleged that 18 children had died after consuming medicines manufactured by Marion Biotech company. On Tuesday, Uttar Pradesh Food Safety and Drug Administration department suspended the production license of Marion Biotech company linked to Uzbekistan’s deaths of 18 children.

“We have suspended the production license of Marion Biotech company after not providing enough documents, a show-cause notice was also given by the state licensing authority depending upon the documents asked during the inspection which they didn’t provide,” said Gautam Buddh Nagar Drug inspector Vaibhav Babbar.

He further said that sample results are still pending.

Last month, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said that all manufacturing activities of the Noida-based pharma company have been stopped in view of the reports of contamination in cough syrup Dok1 Max. (ANI)

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WHO Chief: China Under-Reports COVID-19 Deaths

By LokMarg 12th January 2023

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday said that the organization’s data on the number of deaths from COVID-19 worldwide is lowered due to the under-reporting of cases by China.

“Last week, almost 11,500 deaths were reported to the WHO: about 40 percent from the Americas, 30 percent from Europe, and 30 percent from the Western Pacific region. However, this number is almost certainly an underestimate, given the underreporting of COVID-related deaths in China,” Ghebreyesus told a briefing, according to the remarks published on the WHO website.
The WHO chief urged all countries to share true statistics so as to contribute to a more effective fight against the spread of the disease. Last week, Tedros asked China for reliable data on Covid hospitalizations and deaths in the country.

“We continue to ask China for more rapid, regular, reliable data on hospitalizations and deaths, as well as more comprehensive, real-time viral sequencing,” Tedros said at a media briefing in Geneva. This comment came after WHO held a high-level meeting with counterparts in China to discuss the surge in cases and hospitalization.

Back in December, the Chinese government dropped its zero COVID-19 policy toward the pandemic after almost three years, leading to a mammoth rise in cases in a matter of few weeks. Later in January, obligatory PCR testing and centralized isolation for people arriving in China were canceled.

The sudden spike in the covid tally of China has forced a number of countries, including the United States, Italy, Japan, and South Korea, to tighten measures against passengers arriving from the country.

During the media briefing, Tedros said throughout the pandemic, testing and sequencing helped WHO to track the spread and development of new variants.

“But since the peak of the Omicron wave, the number of sequences being shared has dropped by more than 90 percent, and the number of countries sharing sequences has fallen by a third,” he said.

The WHO chief noted that countries cannot maintain the same levels of testing and sequencing they had during the Omicron peak. However, he added that the world cannot close its eyes and hope this virus will go away.

Tedros underlined that sequencing remains vital to detect and track the emergence and spread of new variants, such as XBB.1.5. “We urge all countries now experiencing intense transmission to increase sequencing, and to share those sequences,” he added. (ANI)

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North India: Severe Cold Spell This Week, Temp Between 0 &-4°C

By LokMarg 12th January 2023

Already in the grip of a severe cold spell, there’s more bad news in the offing for North India as vast swathes of the region are likely to experience a drop in temperatures to a minimum of -4 degrees Celsius and a maximum of 2 degrees Celsius in the plains, according to a weather expert.

According to a tweet by the weather expert, the icy, severe chill would be experienced between January 14 and 19 and is likely to be at its peak from January 16 to 18.
Jammu and Kashmir, which has literally been snowed under in what has been an unforgiving winter, would have no respite from the cold spell with the mercury predicted to drop to a minimum of -6 degrees Celsius.

Punjab, Haryana, New Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Norther Madhya Pradesh will be in the grip of a severe cold wave over the week, with the minimum temperature hovering between 0 and 4 degrees Celsius.

“Don’t know how to put this up but upcoming spell of #Coldwave in #India look really extreme during 14-19th January 2023 with peak on 16-18th, Never seen temperature ensemble going this low in a prediction model so far in my career. Freezing -4°c to +2°c in plains, Wow!” the weather expert tweeted, tagging his post with a graphical representation of how the cold wave will play out in the northern plains over the week.

While there has been a significant improvement in the fog situation in North India over the last few days, owing to strong winds blowing in because of a Western Disturbance, the relief, according to the Met expert, won’t be for long as the chill and fog will be back soon.

The fog situation has improved slightly Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan and West UP over the last few days.

Visibility in Amritsar increased from 25 metres on January 11 to 450 metres on January 12. Similarly, in Bathinda, the visibility improved from 0 to 200 metres on January 12. In Chandigarh, visibility rose to 400 metres from a low of 25 metres.

In Hissar and Ambala, visibility rose to as much as 1000 metres while in Palam and Safdarjung, in the national capital, the visibility improved to as high as 800 metres. (ANI)

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‘Slight Increase In Chinese Troops At LAC On Close Watch’: General Pande

By LokMarg 12th January 2023

Army Chief General Manoj Pande on Thursday said there has been a ‘slight increase’ in the number of Chinese troops at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

“There is a slight increase in the number of troops [by China] opposite our Eastern command. We are keeping a close watch on the movements,” General Manoj Pande said during a press conference on the sidelines of an event to mark the annual Army Day in the national capital on Thursday.
General Pande, however, said that the situation along the northern borders with China is under control but still remains ‘unpredictable’. Five of the seven thorny issues between the two armed forces have been presented on the table, he added.

“Though unpredictable, the situation at the northern borders is stable and under control. We have been able to resolve five of the seven issues on the table in the talk as our preparedness is of very high level and we have enough reserves to deal with any contingency,” Army Chief had said.

He also stressed on the need to ‘remain alert’, saying the ceasefire has held well on the Pakistan border but the neighbour’s support to terror infrastructure and terror groups was still persistent.

Detailing the welfare projects of the Army in the last five years, General Pande said, “The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has built roads spanning 2,100 km along our northern borders and 7,450-metre bridges in the last five years.”

He further said some of the work at the frontier highway in Arunachal Pradesh is currently underway.

“Habitats for the deployment 500 tanks and 400 guns have been created in the Eastern Ladakh sector by the Army. Habitats for 55,000 troops have also been created,” he added.

The Army chief said peace has returned to most of the states in the Northeast.

Speaking on Army Day, which is marked on January 15, every year, General Pande said they are fully aligned with the future national vision and have “decided to undertake transformation”.

“This Army Day is special as it is also the 75th year of India’s Independence. We are also fully aligned with the future national vision. We have decided to undertake a transformation,” he said.

General Pande said women officers might be commissioned soon into the Indian Army’s Corps of Artillery, as a proposal to that effect has been forwarded to the government for its assent.

“We also have the Army Martial Arts Routine which will help in dealing with combat situations. It is an amalgamation of different martial arts in the country,” he added.

Without naming China, the Army Chief further said they have been able to prevent all attempts to change the status quo (on the LAC) in a robust manner.

“In a firm and resolute manner with our soldiers deployed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), we have been able to prevent any attempts by (the) adversary to unilaterally change the status quo in a robust manner,” General Pande said. (ANI)

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MP: Will Provide Land For Industries In 24 Hours, Says Chouhan

By LokMarg 11th January 2023

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that the demand for land for industries will be fulfilled in 24 hours. There is sufficient availability of land in the state. About 2 lakh acres of land are available in the land bank created for Madhya Pradesh industries.

CM Chouhan made the remark while addressing the seventh edition of Global Investors Summit (GIS) at Brilliant Convention Centre, Indore on Wednesday.
“The work of providing the land for the establishment of industrial units will be done on priority. There are many minerals in the state. As far as energy production is concerned, over 25,000 megawatt of electricity is being produced. Delhi’s Metro Rail also runs with the help of Madhya Pradesh’s electricity. There is no shortage of water. There is industrial peace. The terror of dacoits has been eradicated from the state. Madhya Pradesh is leading the country in the field of good governance,” Chouhan said.

“There are over 300 industrial areas in the state. There are many food parks, plastic parks and now medical devices parks are also being developed. Investors themselves have started believing that Madhya Pradesh is favourable from an investment point of view. Continuous work has been done in the state in automobile sector, skill development, information technology, defence sector, renewable energy,” he added.

“Madhya Pradesh ranks fourth in ready-made industry. The goal is to come up to the top place soon. Now the work of setting-up a floating power plant on the water surface of dams has started in Omkareshwar. The state government will also do the work of providing customised packages according to the requirement of the industries,” the Chief Minister said.

The CM also said, ” I am always available as the CEO of Madhya Pradesh. Time has been fixed for meeting industrialists every Monday. Madhya Pradesh is the cleanest state in the country and Indore is the cleanest city in the country. Today, the state has moved rapidly towards development. The growth rate of the state is the highest in the country. We are moving ahead at a fast pace. Madhya Pradesh has a special place in India’s GDP.”

“Besides, we are witnessing many possibilities in the field of tourism. Whether it is wildlife tourism, heritage tourism or religious tourism. The work of rehabilitating cheetahs in Kuno National Park has been successful. Tourists will be able to see them from the month of February. Before becoming a Cheetah state, Madhya Pradesh has also become a Tiger, Leopard, and Crocodile state. The number of tourists is continuously increasing in Ujjain to visit Shri Mahakal Lok and Shiv Srishti. The guests who came to the summit must surely visit Ujjain,” CM Chouhan added. (ANI)

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After WB, Stones Pelted On Vande Bharat In Andhra

By LokMarg 11th January 2023

Stones were pelted on the Vande Bharat train in Visakhapatnam city of Andhra Pradesh during maintenance on Wednesday.

The Vande Bharat train will be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 19.
The glass pane of a coach of Vande Bharat express was damaged near Kancharapalem in Visakhapatnam.

The incident happened a week after stones were thrown at the train connecting Howrah to New Jalpaiguri, within just four days after its launch.

According to Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Anup Kumar Sethupati, “Some unknown persons pelted stones at Vande Bharat train as it reached Visakhapatnam for maintenance and train run. Stones were pelted on train coaches during it was going to the coach care centre for maintenance from Visakhapatnam station.”

He further said that they are verifying CCTV footage and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) is searching for the accused people.

“It was a very unfortunate incident. The coach glass of the brand new Vande Bharat train was broken after some unknown persons pelted stones on the coach near Kancharapalem. We are verifying CCTV cameras. Our RPF police searching for them. Once they catch will punish sincerely. The railway belongs to public money. I appeal to people who don’t do such kinds of things. Estimated the cost of the window glass around one lakh,” added the DRM.

Earlier on January 2, the Vande Bharat Express window panes were broken as stones were thrown at the train connecting Howrah to New Jalpaiguri near Malda.

A day after the second attack on January 3, two window panes of the Vande Bharat Express train were left damaged after stones were allegedly pelted on the two coaches near the Phansidewa area of the Darjeeling. (ANI)

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Dead Lizard, Rat Found At Mid-Day Meal In Malda, West Bengal

By LokMarg 11th January 2023

Locals created a ruckus after a rat and a lizard were found in a mid-day meal in a school in Malda.

“The case of dead lizard and rat found in mid-day meal has come to our notice. Strict action is taken against those who are responsible for it,” said Malda District Magistrate Nitin Singhania.
A local said that the quality of the mid-deal meal is terrible and the students have been complaining about it for quite some time.

“The quality of the mid-day meal provided in the school is terrible. Students have been complaining about it for a long time. Today we have caught them red-handed,” said Afsar, a local.

Earlier on January 6, the West Bengal government decided to serve chicken and seasonal fruits in mid-day meals for four months starting January and allotted Rs 371 crore for introducing the same.

According to an official notification, chicken and seasonal fruits will be served weekly once for four months for additional nutrition under PM POSHAN.

Notably, in the new scheme, an amount of Rs 20 will be spent per week on providing additional nutrition to every student, and the process will continue for 16 weeks.

Currently, students are provided with rice, pulses, vegetables, soybean and eggs in schools as part of mid-day meals.

The additional items will be served from January 23 to April 23 in every block on different days of the week. (ANI)

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Gangasagar Mela: Mamata Requests Pilgrims Not To Be Misled By Rumours

By LokMarg 11th January 2023

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said that all arrangements have been made for the Gangasagar Mela and requested the pilgrims to maintain peace, and not be misled by any rumour.

After two years of the COVID pandemic, the Gangasagar Mela 2023 is being organised in West Bengal from January 8 to January 17 around the time of the Makar Sankranti festival.
“All arrangements made for Gangasagar Mela. Work has begun for Ganga aarti. Ambulance, fire brigade were also arranged. I request all pilgrims to maintain peace, not be misled by any rumour and only listen to govt announcements on the mic to avert any untoward incident,” Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that from tomorrow Kolkata Municipal Corporation work will start for Ganga Aarti.

“From tomorrow Kolkata Municipal Corporation work is going to start for Ganga Aarti . arrangements of powerful light. Sankh to make this as holy place,” said CM.

Earlier on January 4, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday urged the Central government to declare Gangasagar Mela a national-level fair.

She said that a total of three helipads have been inaugurated in Gangasagar. As the journey is difficult, they are making Detail Project Report (DPR) for the bridge in Mourigram.

“Although Gangasagar’s journey is difficult, we are making DPR for the bridge in Mourigram as we are not getting any support from the Centre. The Centre supports Kumbh mela, but the Gangasagar does not get any,” Mamata Banerjee said underscoring the Kumbh Mela’s connectivity with Civil Aviation and the Railways.

Banerjee further said that this time, the fair will showcase Kali Temple, Dakhineshwar Temple, Tarapith Temple, and Johurakhali Temple. (ANI)

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‘Take A Break, Travel, Rejuvenate’: Bhumi’s Therapeutic Mantra

By LokMarg 11th January 2023

Apart from giving powerful performances in movies actor Bhumi Pednekar is often seen taking out time from her busy schedule to travel. The ‘Govinda Naam Mera’ actor revealed her therapeutic mantra.

Bhumi said, “For me, travel is extremely therapeutic. I make it a point to take a break after my hectic work schedule and travel to someplace new because I love to make new memories with my loved ones and also learn about culture, traditions and food of these places. I feel I have grown as a human being because of my travels. These trips have enriched me, satiated my heart, rejuvenated my mind and anchored me.”
She added, “I would love to speak more about the need for travel and how it can help us mentally in the coming years. I’m glad I got the time to fly to Mexico and recharge my batteries before I take on the new year!”

Sharing the details about her work front, Bhumi said, “I have six back to back releases, plus new shoots. So, this trip was essential for me because I know I won’t get the time this year to do a big trip that will inspire me and fascinate me. But I’m not complaining. I love to work and I’m fortunate that I have a packed year of releases. This is exactly how I want my years in cinema to be – choosing and being a part of the best cinema of our country.”

Bhumi will be next seen in Anubhav Sinha’s ‘Bheed’, Ajay Bahl’s ‘The Ladykiller’, Sudhir Mishra’s ‘Afwaa’, Gauri Khan produced ‘Bhakshak’, Mudassar Aziz’s ‘Mere Husband Ki Biwi’ and a couple of more unannounced projects. (ANI)

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Shah To Hold High-Level Meet On Leh-Ladakh, J-K This Eve | Lokmarg

‘Cong-Led Movement, Big Contribution In India’s Freedom, But…’ Shah

By LokMarg 11th January 2023

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday, while acknowledging that the Congress-led freedom movement had a big contribution to India’s freedom, said that it is, however, not right to propagate the narrative that there was no role of others in the country’s freedom struggle.

Shah’s remarks came at the book launch event of ‘Revolutionaries, The other story of how India won its freedom’ by Sanjeev Sanyal in the national capital.
The Home Minister said that the word ‘other story’ in the title of the book is the summary of the book which presents the other perspective of the contributions of various others in the freedom struggle.

“Revolutionaries, is The other story of how India won its freedom. The word ‘other story’ is the summary of this book. Because one story has been established in public under one narrative. One perspective has been imposed on the public through history writing, and education. The perspective that has been imposed, I do not say that the non-violent struggle has no role in the freedom struggle, or is not a part of history. It is a part of history and has a huge contribution,” Shah said.

Stating that there were contributions of various people and organizations, the Home Minister said that freedom is the “collective” result of everyone.

“The movement led by Congress has a big contribution to the country’s freedom. But no other has contributed, this narrative is not right. Because if we analyze the country’s freedom, numerous people, organizations, and ideologies and paths had made efforts to reach one destination. India’s freedom is the collaborative result of all of this,” he said. (ANI)

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