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A fly-past by a 220 ft-long majestic Indian tricolour, made of Khadi, over the iconic Hudson river and the display of a giant billboard at the Times Square are among the highlights of the grand celebrations planned to mark 75 years of India's Independence here this week. The Federation of Indian Associations NY-NJ-CT-NE (FIA) has planned a plethora of special events to celebrate India's 75 years of Independence - Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav this year. The commemoration will start with the hoisting of the Indian national flag, made of Khadi, at Times Square on August 15. As in previous years, the iconic Empire State Building will also be lit up in hues of the Indian tricolour. FIA said that as part of its grand celebrations to mark 75 years of India's independence under the auspices of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the diaspora organisation will display a giant India Day Parade' billboard at Times Square on August 15. Further, a special 220 feet-long Indian tricolour, made of Khadi, … [Read more...] about Khadi tricolour fly-past over the Hudson, billboard at Times Square attractions of India’s 75th Independence Day in New York

File image A grey apocalyptic smog enveloped Delhi on November 10, blotting out the sun from the sky and smudging landmarks from view as the city's air quality hit "emergency" levels. Delhi recorded a 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) of 476, which falls in the "severe" category. The neighbouring cities of Faridabad (448), Ghaziabad (444), Noida (455), Greater Noida (436) and Gurgaon (427), which fall in the National Capital Region (NCR), also recorded "severe" air quality. It was the sixth "severe" air day on the trot in Delhi. The city witnessed seven "severe" air days in November last year. The levels of PM2.5 — which is about three per cent the diameter of a human hair and can lead to premature deaths from heart and lung diseases — were 494 g/m3 at 5 pm, more than eight times the safe limit of 60 g/m3. The PM10 levels stood at 600 micrograms per cubic metre (g/m3) at 5 pm, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data. PM10 levels below 100 g/m3 are … [Read more...] about India Pollution tracker: Delhi-NCR’s air quality hits ’emergency’ levels

Representative image (REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui) With 20,551 new coronavirus infections being reported in a day, India's tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 4,41,07,588, while the active cases declined to 1,35,364, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday. The death toll climbed to 5,26,600 with 70 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated. The active cases comprise 0.31 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.50 per cent, the ministry said. A decrease of 1,114 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19. The country crossed the grim milestone of two crore on … [Read more...] about Coronavirus Update | India records 70 new Covid fatalities

President Tsai Ing-wen visits a combat support ship during her trip at a navy base in Kaohsiung on March 21, 2017. Tyrone Siu / Reuters – BEIJING – China on Friday strongly protested a U.S. plan to sell $1.4 billion worth of arms to Taiwan and demanded that the deal be canceled. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said the sale would severely damage China’s sovereignty and security interests and run counter to Washington’s commitment to a “one-China” policy. He asked the U.S. to immediately stop the sale to avoid harming relations with Beijing. “We stress that nobody could sway our determination to uphold our territorial integrity and sovereignty,” Lu said at a regular daily briefing. “We oppose any external interference in our internal affairs.” The U.S. State Department approved the arms sale on Thursday, the first such deal with Taiwan since President Donald Trump took office. The sale was broadly welcomed on Taiwan as a show of U.S. support, … [Read more...] about Beijing Protested U.S. Plan to Sell $1.4 Billion Worth of Arms to Taiwan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Image: AP) When India was only eight years young as an independent nation, its foreign policy was its first milestone, which has been replicated many times since, up until the country’s ongoing Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. India assembled an impressive coalition of newly-independent and emerging nations in Asia and Africa at the 1955 Bandung Conference, which paved the way for the creation of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). The assembly enabled India to punch way above its weight on the global stage although its people were poor, and its economic power insignificant. This coalition has remained India’s primary constituency in the community of nations ever since. Indians today increasingly boast about their country’s new alliances, stronger relations with developed countries, and act as if a new India has arrived in the international arena as a great power. Yet, India can ignore the `Bandung spirit’ even now only at its own peril. Most other … [Read more...] about [email protected]: A macho foreign policy that projects power

Representative image Nepal has requested India to fast-track the Covishield vaccine consignment it has already paid for, sources say. With new cases exploding over the past one week, Nepal has also requested crucial medical supplies, including ventilators, and a steady flow of oxygen from India. COVID-19 cases are rising in the Himalayan nation after a double mutant variant of the virus which originated from India travelled across the porous border. On February 20, Nepal received the first commercial shipment of 10 lakh doses of Covishield from the Serum Institute of India (SII). Sources say that an equal amount of doses is pending with SII and the country is not sure when it will receive it. "This has held up vaccination of the critical segments of the population such as senior citizens and frontline workers," a diplomatic source said. Under pressure to continue the vaccination drive, the country has also given emergency use approval to Vero Cell, a Chinese vaccine. … [Read more...] about Nepal requests India to fast-track shipment of 10 lakh Covishield doses already paid for

Representative image India’s apex pharma pricing regulator has selected a consortium to study drug pricing policies in other nations, setting in motion wheels to overhaul the medicine pricing regime in the country. The majority of drugs in India which are not on the National List of Essential Medicines are out of the ambit of price control and the government only puts a cap of a 10 percent annual increase in their retail prices. The latest move by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) comes after it had cancelled a request for proposal to carry out the study earlier this year citing “administrative exigencies”. The consortium that has been selected last week for the research project Multijurisdictional study on drug pricing policies with a focus on affordable access to medicine is led by Gujarat National Law University (GNLU) and also includes Bangalore Bioinnovation Centre, Bengaluru, and Bridge Think Tank, New Delhi. The project, GNLU director S … [Read more...] about In Depth | Spadework begins for affordable medicines in India

A crowd at an election rally in Uttar Pradesh. (Image Source: AP/File photo) Prime Minister Narendra Modi is known for weighing his statements for timing and appropriateness. So when he made a reference to states preferring to spend money on freebies — distributing ‘revari’ (candies) — over development, during the inauguration of the Bundelkhand Expressway in Uttar Pradesh on July 16, it was interpreted as a political message. The sharpest reaction came from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. AAP is making a spirited bid in the assembly elections later this year in Gujarat, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been in power for over 25 years. In his campaign speeches Kejriwal is promising free electricity, and other subsidies if AAP comes to power in the state. He, therefore, had reasons to believe that Modi’s comments were aimed at his party, as the BJP was rattled by AAP’s recent electoral success in Punjab, where the voters were … [Read more...] about Freebie Politics | ‘Revari’-nomics is bad for India’s economic health

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin When it comes to mobile-first populations, India leads the list. The country counts more than 1 billion active mobile subscriptions with a massive appetite for mobile apps and interaction. On a single day in December 2021, for example, an astounding 1.06 billion mobile subscribers were active on their phones. Fast forward to 2022, and the State of Mobile 2022 report by Data.ai , a market intelligence and decision-making platform for the mobile app economy, shows app downloads in India hit the highest levels yet. What's more, the report highlights an uplift in the two metrics that matter most to marketers: time and money spent on apps. Indian consumers spent roughly one-third of their waking hours on mobile, using their devices for an average of 4 hours and 42 minutes per day in 2021. Compare that to the average daily television viewership of around 3 hours and 17 minutes per day, and it's clear mobile is where the … [Read more...] about Targeting India’s Smaller Cities Paves The Way To Mobile Commerce Gold

Red Fort decked up for the occasion of India's 76th Independence Day The world seems to be taking notice of India's celebration of its 76th Independence Day . Tech mogul and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates was one of the many influential people who have wished Prime Minister Narendra Modi on this momentous occasion. Congratulating PM Modi for his efforts to prioritize healthcare and making strides in India's digital- transformation, Bill Gates expressed his emotions in the form of a tweet. "As India celebrates its 75th Independence Day, I congratulate @narendramodi for prioritizing healthcare and digital transformation while spearheading India's development. India's progress in these sectors is inspiring and we are fortunate to partner in this journey. #Amrit Mahotsav," Bill Gates tweeted. The occasion also made many Indians away from home nostalgic for their nation. Indian-American astronaut Raja Chari highlighted India's contribution at NASA and said that he could see … [Read more...] about 76th Independence Day celebrations: Bill Gates congratulates PM Modi for India’s digital-transformation