Hyderabad company signs pact to make 200m doses of Sputnik V a year

Russia’s sovereign wealth fund Russian Direct Investment Fund and Hyderabad-based Virchow Biotech have announced an agreement to produce up to 200 million doses per year of Sputnik V.

The technology transfer is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2021, followed by full-scale commercial production of Sputnik V.

Over the last week, RDIF has announced production contracts with three domestic manufacturers, which can potentially vaccinate more than 300 million people with Sputnik V in a year.

Besides Virchow Biotech’s 200 million doses, which will vaccinate 100 million people, Bangalore-based Stelis Biopharma will roll out 200 million doses, and Hyderabad-based Gland Pharma, 252 million doses for 126 million people. Last year, RDIF had tied up with another Hyderabad-based Hetero for over 100 million doses. A majority of the companies are manufacturers of finished formulations, excluding Gland, and will have to repurpose their facilities and capabilities for making vaccines.

An RDIF spokesperson said in total, a production capacity for over 700 million people has been secured in 10 countries

Of States heading towards new Coronavirus peaks....

 

India makes exception to give Mujib the Gandhi Peace Prize

Making an exception from the norm, India conferred the prestigious Gandhi Peace Prize to two statesmen posthumously on Monday. The 2019 Prize was conferred on Late Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman, while the 2020 Prize was conferred on ‘Bangabandhu’ Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the late founder of Bangladesh.

The announcement comes days before PM Narendra Modi is scheduled to travel to Dhaka to be chief guest at the Mujib centenary celebrations. The year is also being celebrated as Mujib Barsho in both Bangladesh and India. In Dhaka, Modi will oversee a digital exhibition — Bangabandhu-Bapu Digital Exhibition, launched by him and Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina. Announcing the prize, Modi said, “The Gandhi Peace Prize 2019 being conferred on His Late Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman is a fitting recognition of His Majesty’s standing as a leader of remarkable compassion, and of his contributions to furthering peace and prosperity in the region.”

According to a government readout, the selection procedure for the Gandhi Peace Prize did not allow it to be awarded posthumously but given the contribution of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman towards peace, non-violence and amelioration of human sufferings and special relationship with India, the exception was made as a special gesture to honour and celebrate them.

The Gandhi Peace Prize is given for social, economic and political transformation through non-violence.

Of BJP's manifesto for Tamil Nadu....

Fighting for a foothold in the Dravidian heartland, the BJP went the whole hog on its Hindutva identity without compunction by promising “strict anti-conversion law”, “criminalising religious conversion” and ban on cow slaughter in its manifesto released for the TN assembly polls on Monday. The document released by Union minister Nitin Gadkari in Chennai also promised a separate research university to teach ‘Agama’ rituals.

State BJP chief and Dharapuram candidate L Murugan said the manifesto committee interacted with various sections of society and prepared the manifesto. “Our vision document carefully lists out our commitment after meeting people through Ungal Viruppam Engal Arikkai (your wish our manifesto)’ campaign and understanding their needs and demands,” he said in the introduction of the 25-page manifesto.

Under the heading of ‘Culture and Heritage’, the party promised to bring in the ‘freedom of religion act’ and elaborated it saying that the right to freedom of religion is not the same as forcible religious conversion. “A strict anti-conversion law will be enacted in the state to criminalise religious conversion by force or allurement,” said the manifesto. On cow protection, the manifesto said anti-cow slaughter law would be enforced and a blanket ban imposed on smuggling cows to Kerala and other states for meat.

Such legislation is not new to Tamil Nadu. Former chief minister and AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa enacted the controversial law, the Tamil Nadu prohibition of forcible conversion of religion act 2002 and banned animal and bird sacrifices in temples. Both the laws were annulled after DMK leader M Karunanidhi assumed office.

BJP promises to enforce total prohibition in state

When Jayalalithaa assumed office in 2011, her government did not attempt to bring back the laws.

In its manifesto, the BJP promised to hand over the administration of the temples in the state to a separate board comprising scholars and saints.

“This would replace the system of a secular government controlling only the Hindu religious temples,” said the manifesto prepared by the committee headed by H Raja. A separate research university would be established to teach Agama rituals.

The party has also promised to enforce total liquor prohibition in Tamil Nadu and create 50 lakh new employment opportunities. The party said it would create an infrastructure to home deliver essential commodities to all electronic cardholders through the PDS.

The party has promised an annual financial aid of ₹6,000 to each fisherman. It has promised to retrieve 12 lakh acres of panchmi land and hand it over to the Scheduled Caste members. The party has promised to trifurcate the Greater Chennai Corporation in the way it is done in New Delhi. It would recommend the Centre to provide Indian citizenship to Sri Lankan Tamils living in various refugee camps in the state.

Tata, SpiceJet promoter shortlisted for AI bids

Tata Group and SpiceJet promoter Ajay Singh have been shortlisted for the bid to buy out Air India, said people familiar with the development.

The two will now have to submit financial bids after completing due diligence on the national carrier’s books, agreements and liabilities. In their financial bids, the parties have to state the quantum of AI’s debt they will be willing to take up and the upfront payment they will make for the asset. Whoever quotes the highest economic value for AI will be the winner of the bid.

At least 15% of AI’s enterprise value has to be paid in cash and the balance can be taken as debt.

AI has a debt of over Rs 90,000 crore. It is estimated that the national carrier would report a Rs 10,000 crore loss this fiscal.

While Tata Group will be putting in its bid through AirAsia India, in which it holds a controlling stake, Singh has firmed up plans with a Middle East sovereign fund for the acquisition, it is learned.

Singh—who coined the famous “ab ki baar Modi sarkaar” slogan ahead of the 2014 general elections—or his spokesperson offered no comments on the report.

Sources said that Tata Group has been wooing its Southeast Asian full-service carrier partner Singapore Airlines to come on board for the AI bid. The conglomerate and Singapore Airlines run Vistara in India but the latter has shown an unenthusiastic response for AI as the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted its balance sheet. Industry has been speculating that AI would most likely go to the Tata Group.

India’s largest conglomerate, which also owns Jaguar Land Rover, originally founded AI in1932 but sold its interests to the government in1953. The group’s AI bid indicates its commitment to the air transport business; and the acquisition will ramp up its ambitions of emerging a significant player in the aviation sector.

The government hopes to complete the AI divestment by the second quarter of next fiscal. It is expected that the government will handhold the AI winner in the initial transition period when they anticipate trouble from unions and other stakeholders.

Delhi Cuts Legal Age for Drinking to 21 Years

Delhi has lowered the minimum age for consumption of liquor to 21 years, from 25, in sync with the age set by neighbouring Uttar Pradesh.

The National Capital will also introduce the concept of age gating — debarring any person below 21 years of age and without adult supervision from a restaurant serving liquor.

The measures are part of an excise policy the Delhi cabinet approved on Monday. Under it, the government will not give permission to open any more liquor outlets. It will also withdraw from the liquor retail business, and allow private players to run vends, a decision that deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said would increase Delhi’s revenue by ₹1,500-2,000 crore a year.

Addressing a press conference, Sisodia said, “To stop harassment of people and establishments, consumption age will be the same as a majority of Indian states — at 21, like Noida in Uttar Pradesh. New rules will be introduced to make sure that people who are under the age of 21 cannot get access to the establishment that serves liquor, without supervision.” He said Delhi would be the first city in India to introduce the concept of age gating. So far, people under the legal age were not served alcohol, but were allowed to enter such restaurants without adult supervision.

The minister said age gating would help ensure there was no underage drinking in Delhi. The standard operating procedure for this will be created in consultation with the industry, he said

India should engage less with China: Study

India should reduce its engagement with China in three main areas but dispense with “myopic jingoism”, says a new report on how India can meet the Chinese challenge in the wake of clashes between Indian and Chinese troops at Galwan and Chinese aggression in eastern Ladakh.

‘Strategic Patience and Flexible Policies’, a study authored by former ambassador to China Gautam Bambawale, former finance secretary Vijay Kelkar, former chief of CSIR R Mashelkar and economists Ajit Ranade and Ajay Shah, will be released this week.

India, it says, will have to reset its China policy. “By taking military action in 2020, China has clearly indicated that she does not desire a stable, balanced, forward looking relationship with India and that she is willing to use military coercion to resolve her disputes with India. China has decided the nature of the future India-China relationship: she appears to desire a conflictual, unbalanced and tense relationship with India,” the report says.

India should build coalitions with 20 countries with whom it shares values and interests, it says. “Three groups of countries are our natural partners in such coalition building: (a) major democracies of the world,(b) countries in the Indian region and (c) countries that share a border with China, including major powers such as Russia, who are our natural partners in this venture. Building such coalitions including the Quad and others is the need of the hour,” it adds.

The study details three areas where there is a case for a retreat from engagement with China. “There is a case for introducing restrictions against companies controlled by the Chinese state from having a controlling stake in a hotlist of sensitive infrastructure assets; there is a need to avoid locking into Chinese-controlled technological standards; and, India must police against and block Chinese state surveillance of Indian people, which appears to often be done through backdoors in network equipment,” it adds.