Home Blog Page 1388

Mystery over death of Poonam Pandey: Family reportedly goes ‘missing’ after the announcement, her agency unable to confirm the news

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Mystery over death of Poonam Pandey: Family reportedly goes ‘missing’ after the announcement, her agency unable to confirm the news

Update: Poonam Pandey is not dead. She faked her own death to raise awareness about cervical cancer. She is alive. Read more here. Old report continues below which is based on her lie.

Hours after the news of the sudden death of model actress Poonam Pandey was announced on her Instagram page early on 2nd February, mystery has surrounded the incident. Notably, the Instagram post said that she was suffering from cervical cancer. Now there are reports claiming that the family of Pandey has become unreachable, and there is no confirmation about the death apart from the social media post.

A report by India Today said that Poonam Pandey’s sister and other members of the family are ‘missing’, and their phones are switched off. The report cited a source who claimed that they received a call from Poonam’s sister earlier this morning, informing about Poonam’s death and that she was diagnosed with cervical cancer.

After the news was published on Poonam’s Instagram account, that person tried to contact Poonam’s sister, but this time her phone was found switched off. Moreover, that person added that other members of the family are also unreachable.

As per the India Today report, the source said, “We tried calling Poonam’s sister after our last call with her but ever since, her phone has been switched off. Not only that, but her other family members are also not reachable. We tried to get in touch with 2-3 members of Poonam’s team as well and, surprisingly, everybody’s phone is either switched off or unreachable. Hence, we are also confused at this moment.”

Later it was revealed that Poonam Pandey’s team also received the news of the death from Poonam’s sister only, and they are yet to confirm the report of the death directly. Poonam Pandey’s media manager Parul Chawla said, “this is to place on record that we have received a call from her family member (sister) this morning regarding her sudden demise (as posted on her official Insta id). We are awaiting further information from the family to update everyone. We will release official statement as we receive the further update to be shared.”

Pandey’s agency Picture N Kraft also said they have not heard from the family after the initial information about the death. They said in the morning they received a call from Poonam’s family that she is no more. After they have been trying to contact the family, but have been unable to talk to anyone. That is why they have not released any official statement yet, the agency added.

In another incident adding to the mystery, questions have been raised on an email confirming the death purportedly sent to several media houses by Pandey’s manager Nikita Sharma. The email said that Poonam Pandey passed away due to cervical cancer. But the phone number mentioned in the email turned out to be wrong.

Moreover, a security guard in Mumbai told PTI that he was with Pandey till just two days ago.

Social media was filled with messages expressing doubt about the report of the death, especially because the cause was said to be cervical cancer. Many people noted that Poonam Pandey was seen to be active just 2-3 days ago in visuals posts on social media, and she didn’t look like she was suffering from the last stages of cervical cancer. She was riding a bike, swimming in photos and videos posted in the last few days.

Notably, most kinds of cancers are slow killers, they do not kill patients suddenly like stroke or heart attacks. Several people pointed out that cervical cancer patients don’t die suddenly. Cancer patients who don’t survive become very ill and weak during their last days, which seemed not to be the case with Poonam Pandey. Moreover, most cancers nowadays can be treated and even cured when detected in time.

No Muslim dynasty ever damaged or built mosques on Hindu temples, claims AIMLPB: How the Muslim body has been lying through its teeth

Shraddha Pandey
-
0
No Muslim dynasty ever damaged or built mosques on Hindu temples, claims AIMLPB: How the Muslim body has been lying through its teeth

On Friday (February 2), the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) voiced disappointment over the Varanasi district court’s decision to allow Hindus to worship in the Vyas cellar of the Gyanvapi structure. The AIMPLB opined that the judgement was reached hurriedly. The Board intends to take the case to the Supreme Court. The AIMPLB, along with other Muslim organisations, emphasised the importance of implementing the Places of Worship Act of 1991 to avert disputes.

AIMPLB’s reaction comes after the Allahabad High Court today refused to stop puja at the Vyas Cellar in the Gyanvapi complex. The plea was moved by  Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee challenging the Varanasi District Court’s January 31 order allowing Hindus to perform prayers in the Vyas Ji ka Tehkhana, the southern cellar of the Gyanvapi mosque.

Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani, President of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, expressed dissatisfaction with the current development saying that the Muslim side was not given the chance by the court to present their side in detail. He further asserted that this has hurt the confidence of the Muslim ‘minority’ in the judiciary.

“The claim that a mandir was demolished to build a mosque is false. Islam does not allow taking away someone’s land to build a mosque. The court ruled on it in haste and the Muslim side was not even given a chance to put forth its arguments in detail. This has hurt the confidence of minorities in the judiciary,” Rahmani said in a press conference today.

Furthermore, the AIMPLB leader went on to claim that even in the Babri dispute verdict, the court accepted that the Ram Mandir was not razed to build a mosque, however, the apex court gave its verdict based on faith (Aastha) of one sect instead of facts.

Before this, Rahmani claimed that numerous Hindu temples more than thousands of years old are still standing despite several Muslim dynasties ruling the country. He further claimed that none of the Muslim invaders ever even scratched a brick of Hindu temples. “If they (Muslim rulers) thought that they would capture the places of worship of other religions, would these temples still exist,” Rahmani asserted.

Did Muslim ‘rulers’ never demolish a single Hindu temple?

Irony died a painful death when the AIMPLB president said that many Muslim dynasties ruled India but they never demolished the temples of other religions. The Kashi Vishwanath Temple alone was attacked many times during the reigns of different Muslim rulers. The temple was first attacked in the 12th century by Qutb al-Din Aibak with its peak damaged. The temple was again demolished during the reign of Sikandar Lodi  (1489–1517). The ultimate attack on the Mandir was undertaken during the reign of Mughal tyrant Aurangzeb in 1669 CE.  He demolished the temple and replaced it with the Gyanvapi Mosque.

While the AIMPLB leader says that Muslim rulers never intended to destroy the places of worship of other religions,  the Islamic record of Maasir-i-Alamgiri mentions that on April 9, 1669, Aurangzeb had issued a ‘Farman’ decree, “to governors of all the provinces to demolish the schools and temples of the infidels and strongly put down their teachings and religious practices.” This is but one example of the numerous Hindu temples demolished on the orders of Muslim rulers.

In an accidental moment of truth, even Marxist historian Irfan Habib admitted that several temples in Mathura and Varanasi were demolished by the Mughals to build Mosques on them. As reported earlier, the historian said in May 2022 “It is correct that Aurangzeb demolished the temple but it is not specified that it was Lord Shiva’s temple. It became a Shiv Temple after they found a Shivling. Aurangzeb demolished this temple in Varanasi. Another temple was demolished in Mathura. There’s no two ways about it. The question is can the government demolish something that was built in 1670? It is against India’s Monument Protection Act.”

Gyanvapi dispute and ASI report

The Gyanvapi controversy extends back decades, however, in the year 2021, five women namely – Rakhi Singh, Laxmi Devi, Sita Sahu, Manju Vyas, and Rekha Pathak, petitioned a local court for the right to unrestricted worship at the Maa Shringar Gauri Sthal, which is situated within the compound that has idols of Hindu gods. 

In April 2022, the local court ordered a survey of the complex, which sparked protests. The survey concluded in May 2022. Meanwhile, the Hindu side said that the Shivling was found in the closing hours of the exercise, while the Muslim side denied this and claimed it to be a ‘fountain’. The court tightened security on the entire complex and ordered the sealing of the wuzukhana area within the disputed structure.

In 2023, the Varanasi district court ordered an in-depth survey of the structure by ASI to determine whether it was erected on top of an existing temple, stating that a scientific investigation was required to uncover the truth. The judge, however, excluded the section over which a dispute had occurred, which stays sealed.

On 25th January, the ASI released its Gyanvapi survey report. The nearly 800-page report provided a detailed account of the edifice and the artefacts discovered inside, establishing that it was a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. The report detailed artefacts such as a Shivling, a miniature temple with deity sculptures, and statues of Hindu gods such as Vishnu, Krishna, and Ganesh that were buried in the structure’s cellars S1, S2, and S3. The cellars were found to be purposefully obstructed with rubble. The findings reveal that the site was once a temple before it was turned into a mosque.

Babri verdict

Similar unfounded claims that there existed no temple underneath the erstwhile Babri structure were peddled by propagandists ahead of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Mandir on January 22 this year.

In a historic ruling in 2019, the Supreme Court settled the five-century-long dispute with a unanimous decision, allowing the entire 2.77-acre disputed site for the construction of a temple dedicated to Bhagwan Ram Lalla, one of the three claimants in the case.

The Supreme Court determined that the ASI report contained sufficient evidence to conclude that the Babri Masjid was not built on vacant ground. There was a structure that supported the disputed construction. The Supreme Court had stated that the underlying structure was not Islamic.

The apex court had stated that the ASI abstained from recording a finding on whether the mosque was built after demolishing a Hindu temple, and that title cannot be determined only based on the Archaeological Survey of India’s expert report. The title to the land should be determined according to established legal principles.

While the Muslim side failed to provide evidence to show possessory title, the Hindu side established unimpeded possession of the outer courtyard.

Kota: BTech student who enrolled in an online course allegedly dies of suicide

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Kota: BTech student who enrolled in an online course allegedly dies of suicide

On Friday, February 2, Kota authorities reported that a student pursuing the final year of an online BTech course in Chennai was found deceased in an apparent suicide in a rented room located in the town’s Vigyan Nagar area. The police mentioned that no suicide note was discovered at the scene.

The individual, aged 27, hailed from Uttar Pradesh and had been residing in Kota since 2016, as stated by Kaushalya Galav, the Station House Officer (SHO) of Vigyan Nagar police station.

Galav explained that the student had enrolled in a coaching institute in Kota in 2016 to prepare for the JEE entrance exam. Although he discontinued the coaching centre in 2019, he continued to stay in Kota, participating in online classes.

According to the police, the incident unfolded Thursday night when a tiffin delivery boy attempted to retrieve the box from the student’s room. Surprisingly, the untouched tiffin box was found outside the door. Subsequently, the delivery boy knocked on the door, received no response, and informed the landlord. The landlord, with the assistance of the police, forced the door open and discovered the 27-year-old hanging from the fan.

Galav stated that the motive behind the suicide is unknown. He remarked, “We have sent the body for autopsy and also have informed his family members.”

Three suicides have been documented in Kota this year thus far. Earlier this week, an 18-year-old girl from Kota’s Borkheda was discovered hanging at her home. According to police, the deceased was living with her father, who worked in a bank and was repeating Class 12. The girl was under a lot of pressure because of the competitive tests.

In the preceding year, Kota witnessed a tragic toll of 26 students reportedly taking their own lives. Kota is a hub where students from various parts of the country converge to undergo preparations for competitive exams such as the National Entrance Exam (JEE) for admission to premier engineering colleges.

What is cervical cancer? What are its symptoms? How can HPV vaccine prevent cervical cancer? Here’s all you need to know

OpIndia Staff
-
0
What is cervical cancer? What are its symptoms? How can HPV vaccine prevent cervical cancer? Here’s all you need to know

The news of Poonam Pandey’s death due to Cervical cancer has sparked a discussion among netizens about the model-turned-actor’s troubled married life and cervical cancer.

Pandey was in an abusive marriage wherein her ex husband Sam Ahmed beat her allegedly from morning to evening. Notably, abusive marriages also lead to abortions including through contraceptive pills which are one of the leading causes of cervical cancer.

What is cervical cancer?

According to US’s National Cancer Institute, cervical cancer is a cancer that starts in the cells of the cervix.

The cervix is the lower, narrow end of the uterus (womb). The cervix connects the uterus to the vagina (birth canal).

Cervical cancer usually develops slowly over time. Over time, if not destroyed or removed, the abnormal cells may become cancer cells and start to grow and spread more deeply into the cervix and to surrounding areas.

Early on, cervical cancer usually doesn’t have symptoms, making it hard to detect. Symptoms usually begin after the cancer has spread.

Some of the symptoms include vaginal bleeding after sex, vaginal bleeding after menopause, vaginal bleeding between periods or periods that are heavier or longer than normal, vaginal discharge that is watery and has a strong odour or that contains blood, vaginal discharge that is watery and has a strong odour or that contains blood and pelvic pain or pain during sex.

As per data, globally, cervical cancer is the 4th most common cancer in women.

How can vaccine prevent cervical cancer?

Cervical cancer is a preventable and curable disease, as long as it is detected early and manage deffectively.

Most cervical cancers are associated with the Human Papilloma Virus(HPV)and the HPV vaccine can prevent most cases of cervical cancer if the vaccine is given before girls or women are exposed to the virus.

Prevention through vaccination is one of the pillars of the Global Strategy adopted by WHO for the elimination of cervical cancer

Cervical cancer in India

In India, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women and India contributes to the largest proportion of the global cervical cancer burden.

On 2nd Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday (1st February) announced that the Centre will encourage vaccination for girls in the age group of 9-14 years to prevent Cervical cancer.

The central government said that it is closely monitoring the incidences of cervical cancer cases in the country and is in regular touch with states and various health departments regarding deciding on the roll out of HPV vaccination in the country.

In December 2022, the Centre wrote to all States and Union Territories to create awareness on prevention of cervical cancer and the importance of HPV vaccine among girl students across the country.

The campaign was launched by the Centre in September 2022 after the National Technical Advisory Group for Immunization (NTAGI) recommended the introduction of the HPV Vaccine in the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) with a one-time catch-up for 9-14-year-old adolescent girls followed by a routine introduction at 9 years.

In the same month, Centre announced India’s first indigenously development vaccine “CERVAVAC” for the prevention of cervical cancer.

The quadrivalent Human Papilloma Virus (qHPV) vaccine is an indigenously-made vaccine by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and BIRAC in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, supported by Serum Institute of India Private Limited.

Old reports being cited to reignite vaccine fear

All sorts of conversations have erupted on social media what with the timing of the announcement by the Centre in the budget on cervical cancer vaccines and the death of Poonam Pandey owing to cervical cancer.

A controversy from 2010 is being dug out from the grave by naysayers casting aspersions on the vaccine. The case pertains to the death of a few tribals girls after the a US-based NGO conducted trial immunisation on them.

However, it was later found that the vaccines were not responsible for the deaths.

Many experts have responded to the rumours and have actively highlighted the significance of vaccines in preventing cervical cancer.

Moreover, this time should there be an immunisation campaign, the vaccine used will be made-in-India.

“India will become the world’s third-largest economy during our third term”: PM Modi at Bharat Mobility Global Expo

ANI
-
0
“India will become the world’s third-largest economy during our third term”: PM Modi at Bharat Mobility Global Expo

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday expressed confidence that the country will emerge as the third-largest economy in the world during the third straight term of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre.

The Prime Minister was addressing the Bharat Mobility Global Expo at Bharat Mandapam here in the national capital.

“It is certain that India will become the world’s third-largest economy during our third term. During the past 10 years, around 25 crore people have come out of poverty due to the efforts of the government. Today’s India is moving forward with the goal of making the country ‘developed’ by 2047. The mobility sector will play a huge role in the achievement of this goal,” PM Modi said.

“I have always said that this is the right time. This mantra sits well with the mobility sector. India is on the moon and is moving fast. This is the beginning of the golden era for the mobility sector. Today, the economy of the country is expanding rapidly,” he added.

The Prime Minister further said that the country has seen the emergence of a ‘new middle class’ with its own aspirations and hopes.

“There has emerged a new middle class in the country with its own aspirations and hopes. The income and threshold of the middle class have been expanded. These factors will ensure new heights in the mobility sector. Before 2014, there were 12 crore cars sold in India. Since 2014, there has been a sale of over 21 crore cars,” he said.

“Before 2014, there were 2,000 crore electric cars being sold annually. Now, there are around 12 lakh electric cars being sold on an annual basis. India has witnessed a 60pc rise in the number of passenger car sales. The sale of two-wheelers has also seen a 70pc rise in the number,” added the Prime Minister.

PM Narendra Modi further said, “There has been an unprecedented change in the mobility sector. Today’s India is relying on new policies, keeping in mind the future scenario. This vision is also reflected in the interim budget. However, we will present the full budget after the formation of a new government.”

Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2024 showcases India’s capabilities across the entire mobility and automotive value chains. The Expo will feature exhibitions, conferences, buyer-seller meets, state sessions, a road safety pavilion and also public-centric attractions like go-karting.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Karnataka Congress leader B Shivaramu accuses party of corruption, says Minister KN Rajanna unfairly allocated funds to his community people ignoring SCs

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Karnataka Congress leader B Shivaramu accuses party of corruption, says Minister KN Rajanna unfairly allocated funds to his community people ignoring SCs

On Thursday (February 1), Karnataka Congress leader B. Shivaramu accused his own party of corruption. The former Minister targeted party leader and Minister for Cooperation K.N. Rajanna, who is also the Minister in charge of Hassan district over alleged corruption.

In a press meeting on Thursday, Shivaramu stated that the Congress party, which had earlier chastised the BJP government for corruption during its reign, is now dealing with similar challenges. He even said that now the situation has got worse.

During the election campaign for the Karnataka Assembly elections in 2023, Congress raked up the issue of a ’40 per cent commission’ to criticise the BJP government. The Congress leader said that there have been discrepancies in allotting funds to Hassan Zilla Panchayat.

Shivaramu pointed out the alleged misallocation of Rs 13 crore released for Hassan Zilla Panchayat, highlighting that Rs 2.5 crore was “unfairly” allocated by the Minister in charge of the district, K N Rajanna, to his community people, who number only about 50,000, while ignoring the Scheduled Castes population of roughly four lakh.

“There have been discrepancies in allotting the amount sanctioned. The Minister in charge of the district has allocated ₹2.5 crore for the welfare of his community people, who are hardly about 50,000. The Scheduled Castes, who are about 4 lakhs, have not received any amount. I have brought this issue to the attention of the district Minister. I told the Chief Minister that the corruption has gone beyond 40% in Hassan,” he said.

“I conveyed this directly to the Chief Minister— our district (Hassan) is gaining a negative reputation. Back in the BJP era, we accused them of 40 per cent corruption; now, it exceeds that,” Shivaramu said.

He stated that the corruption issue must be addressed as he and several party workers are of the same view. “I am stating this straightforwardly, and it’s not just me…most of the candidates who lost in last year’s state Assembly elections are expressing the same. For the party to endure, this needs to be addressed. If I openly discuss this, I am labelled a bad person,” the Congress leader added.

Shivaramu previously stated that he had requested that the district’s in-charge Minister Rajanna visit the district with K.M. Shivalinge Gowda, the district’s only Congress MLA, to motivate the party workers. “The Minister got upset because I expressed my wish. I don’t know why he got angry with me,” Shivaramu said. Meanwhile, Rajanna recently said that he was not concerned about Shivaramu’s remarks on the party.

West Bengal: Minor girl beheaded by uncle, head and torso dumped in different parts of Malda, police investigating rape angle

OpIndia Staff
-
0
West Bengal: Minor girl beheaded by uncle, head and torso dumped in different parts of Malda, police investigating rape angle

On Thursday (1st February), authorities reported that an 11-year-old girl in Malda in West Bengal had been beheaded by her uncle. According to a police official, her head and torso were discovered in separate locations in the city.

The minor had been missing since 29th January. The accused has been identified as a 27-year-old man who admitted that he killed the girl in retaliation for her father publicly beating and humiliating him multiple times.

Furthermore, the police suspect she might have been raped before the murder. According to the police, the culprit was located by CCTV footage that showed him with the girl shortly before she vanished.

Her father launched a police complaint stating she left the house on 29th January at 6:15 in the evening and didn’t come back. She was seen in the CCTV footage jumping on the culprit’s motorcycle close to her home.

Superintendent of Police (Malda) Pradeep Kumar Yadav revealed, “The girl, a student of Class V, had gone missing on January 29 (Monday) and her family reported to the police the same day. A missing diary was filed. We examined the CCTV footage from the area and saw the girl being taken away by a person on a motorbike. With the help of residents of the area, we identified the person riding the motorbike. The next day, we detained him. During questioning, we found that the suspect was the girl’s relative. So, we needed strong evidence.”

He added, “Initially, the accused said that he had picked her up near her house on Monday and later dropped her back. He kept misguiding the police and took names that were found to be fake. We found discrepancies in his statement. After prolonged questioning, he confessed to killing the girl on Wednesday evening and told where her body was dumped.” He led the police to recover the head and the torso.

The authorities disclosed that he admitted to killing her in a remote location within an hour of picking her up in his vehicle. He stated that her father had previously humiliated him and even beat him up in public on multiple occasions. He was given a 12-day police custody order after being apprehended and presented before the court. The corpse has been transferred to Malda Medical College and Hospital for post-mortem examination.

Meanwhile, shops in the city have remained closed and rallies condemning the horrible instance have been organised by individuals from all walks of life as a result of the widespread anger. Strict action against the perpetrator was demanded by the demonstrators.

Large-scale protests and silent vigils were held in response to the occurrence by prominent political parties including the Bharatiya Janata Party. On 1st February, people vandalised and set fire to the offender’s home. Additionally, the crowd blocked National Highway 34 and the BJP leaders in the area gheraoed the local police station, citing police inaction. “The police intervened, and the situation has been brought under control. We haven’t received any complaint over the vandalism yet,” proclaimed a police officer.

BJP leader and Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari attacked the ruling dispensation and wrote that the girl could have been saved had the police acted swiftly while reacting to a post by party legislator Sreerupa Mitra Chaudhury who charged that the police were “too busy in giving security” to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who was in the district on 31st January. He asserted, “The girl could have been saved had the police acted swiftly. This is the condition of Public Safety in West Bengal. Police don’t care two hoots about the problems of the common people.”

Sreerupa Mitra Chaudhury also mentioned, “The Kesri family provided names of the suspect to police, scanned the CCTV footage. The suspect was detained on 30/1 itself but police had no time to search or find the girl, as because they said they were busy attending to CM’s visit to Malda. Finally, the police couldn’t save or rescue the girl. Her torn tattered brutally abused body was recovered late last night from the farm, a few yards away from the SP (Superintendent of Police) office.

We have identified body double of Rahul Gandhi used during BJN Yatra, will reveal identity after PM Modi’s Assam visit: Himanta Biswa Sarma

ANI
-
0
We have identified body double of Rahul Gandhi used during BJN Yatra, will reveal identity after PM Modi’s Assam visit: Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said that he would reveal the identity of the body double part involving Rahul Gandhi during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in the state after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Assam visit.

“We have identified the body double which was used by Rahul Gandhi during the padayatra. So once the Prime Minister goes back from Assam, I will address the press conference on that to disclose the identity,” Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma said while addressing a press conference held at Janata Bhawan in Guwahati.

He said that the state government has confirmation that Gandhi was using a ‘lookalike’ to cheer at crowds from his vehicle through most of the yatra in Assam.

“We have now confirmed that in most of the route, Rahul was not interacting with the crowd, his body double was sharing the crowd. After the controversy body double had quietly left Guwahati without accompanying him to the next leg from Guwahati to Bengal part,” he said.

He further said that two cases have been registered – one in Guwahati and another in Jorhat.

“Two cases have been registered. For the Guwahati case, we have created a SIT and the SIT is working. After India Today NE uploaded the photographs, that person quietly left Assam from Guwahati airport directly to Delhi without accompanying him to the last leg which reconfirms my allegation,” he added.

Assam CM said that the Guwahati case is under the SIT and the Jorhat case is being investigated in the normal way.

“The body double part, I am going to reveal after the Prime Minister left the state. I don’t want to enter into that now,” he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Assam on February 3-4 to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of various development initiatives worth more than Rs 11,599 crore during a public programme in Guwahati, said the Assam government.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Guwahati on February 3 evening.

The Prime Minister will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of projects worth Rs. 11,599 crore in Guwahati.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Union Government to encourage human papillomavirus vaccination to prevent cervical cancer through price capping and other initiatives

ANI
-
0
Union Government to encourage human papillomavirus vaccination to prevent cervical cancer through price capping and other initiatives

The central government, which announced plans to encourage vaccinations against the human papilloma virus (HPV) through its immunisation programme, is exploring options to cap prices so that the vaccines to treat cervical cancer become more affordable, official sources have said.

Apart from slashing prices, the government will encourage HPV vaccination for cervical cancer through Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities, the sources said.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her interim budget presentation on February 1 said that the government will encourage vaccination for girls in the age group of 9-14 years for the prevention of cervical cancer in the country.

Cervical cancer is a highly preventable cancer but is also the third most common cancer with an incident rate of 18.3 percent and the second leading cause of death in India.

However, HPV in young girls is considered to be the most successful tool for cervical cancer prevention.

“HPV vaccination of young girls is the most remarkable and successful tool for cervical cancer prevention today. It is simple, safe, effective and feasible with existing infrastructure,” according to Dr Neerja Bhatla, Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi.

For women over the age of 30, regular Pap smears and HPV tests can be helpful to prevent cervical cancer.

“Cervical cancer is a highly preventable cancer. Screening of women after the age of 30 with regular Pap smears and now with the HPV test is one strategy that has been successfully employed for several decades in developed countries but for universal coverage, it needs a lot of infrastructure and resources,” Dr Neerja said.

According to Dr Neerja, cervical cancer vaccination can be a game changer. Recently, AIIMS Delhi conducted a study that showed that even a single dose of vaccine until the age of 20 is beneficial.

“At AIIMS, we conducted and participated in trials that showed that the number of doses could be decreased from three to two doses, and more recently, our data has supported only one dose until the age of 20 years. Implementing universal HPV vaccination in the national programme will be a game changer for a major public health problem,” she said.

Following the Finance Minister’s Budget speech, Adar Poonawala, CEO of the Serum Institute of India, took to social media platform X to applaud the government’s announcement.

“I applaud the Indian government’s announcement to vaccinate girls aged 9-14 against cervical cancer. Let’s pledge to prevent HPV and ensure easy access to vaccination. Extending health cover for ASHA and Anganwadi workers, setting up more medical colleges, and streamlining maternal and child healthcare schemes demonstrate a holistic commitment to health,” he tweeted.

In 2022, Union Minister Jitendra Singh announced India’s first indigenously developed vaccine, “CERVAVAC” for the prevention of cervical cancer.

The National Technical Advisory Group for Immunisation (NTAGI) has recommended introduction of The quadrivalent Human Papilloma Virus (qHPV) vaccine in the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) with a one-time catch-up for 9-14 year-old adolescent girls followed with routine introduction at nine years.

The vaccination would be provided primarily through schools (grade-based approach: 5th-l0th). In order to reach those girls who are unable to attend school on the campaign day, the vaccination would be provided at a health facility while for out-of-school girls the campaign would be conducted through Community Outreach and Mobile teams

Dr Sheetal Agarwal, Gynaecologist at Cloud9 Hospital said that there are two types of cervical vaccines.

“Gardasil, which is a quadrivalent vaccine, is given in three doses at zero, two and six months intervals. The other is Cervarix, which is bivalent vaccine, is given at zero, one and six months interval. The cost of both these vaccines- three doses- is within Rs 10000 and they should generally be administered prior to start of sexual activity” she said.

Presently, the Serum Institute’s indigenous vaccine against cervical cancer, CERVAVAC, is available in the private market.

According to SII, it presently has a production capacity of around two- three million doses for the Cervavac vaccine. That said, the company plans to considerably expand this capacity, with a target of reaching 60-70 million doses and is priced at Rs 2000 per dose.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Telangana: Hindu woman commits suicide after live-in partner Mohammed Ali betrays her, was forced to convert to Islam

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Telangana: Hindu woman commits suicide after live-in partner Mohammed Ali betrays her, was forced to convert to Islam

On 28th January this year, a 35-year-old techie was discovered dead at her home in Attapur in the Rangareddy district of Telangana.

The deceased has been identified as Adithi Bharadwaj, a software engineer and a native of Gujarat. Police stated that she took the drastic step after Mohammed Ali, her boyfriend of many years, cheated on her.

According to Attapur inspector Puli Yadagiri, the two had been dating for several years. The betrayal had a severe negative effect on her mental health due to which she stopped interacting with people, refused to eat meals with her roommates and withdrew from social events

Their concerns were intensified when the deceased’s fellow hostel mates found her door locked on the fateful day and were horrified to see her lifeless body as they broke it open.

The couple was living together and Mohammed Ali had converted her to Islam as well as given her a new name, Azia Fatima after impregnating her. However, he married another woman belonging to his religion.

Adithi Bharadwaj was allegedly previously married, but she divorced her husband and was going to marry Mohammed Ali on 12th February in Hyderabad. However, he cheated on her before the wedding and she could not bear this deception and gradually went into depression.

Moreover, she recently visited the hospital voicing concerns over her health where she learned that she was expecting a child and had been worrying about it. She was shocked and called Mohammed Ali to inform him of the news but nothing came out of it after which she ended her life.

The body has been moved to the postmortem facility at Osmania General Hospital. “We are working to gather technical evidence to arrest the accused. The investigation is in progress,” proclaimed an official aware of the developments.

1...1,3871,3881,389...7,656Page 1,388 of 7,656