PM Modi's Ukraine visit, vaccine-derived polio, and IMD to get an upgrade
Aug 28, 2024
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Shubhajit Roy, the Diplomatic Affairs Editor for Indian Express, delves into the implications of PM Modi's historic visit to Ukraine, shedding light on India's balancing act between Russia and Western alliances. Anonna Dutt raises alarms over a recent case of vaccine-derived polio in a child from Meghalaya, emphasizing the health risks and challenges in vaccination strategies. Finally, Amitabh Sinha discusses the government's plans to significantly upgrade the India Meteorological Department to improve weather forecasting and address climate change impacts.
PM Modi's visit to Ukraine signifies India's commitment to peace and dialogue amidst shifting geopolitical dynamics with Western allies and Russia.
The IMD's planned upgrades aim to enhance weather forecasting capabilities to better address the increasing severity of climate-related disasters in India.
Deep dives
India's Diplomatic Balancing Act
Prime Minister Modi's historical visit to Ukraine marked a significant moment in India’s foreign policy stance amidst the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. This visit aimed to address concerns about India's perceived alignment with Russia after recent diplomatic engagements, particularly Modi's prior visit to Moscow where he met with President Putin. During the Ukrainian visit, Modi asserted that India has always prioritized peace, emphasizing the need for dialogue rather than warfare. His discussions with President Zelensky highlighted India's intention to mediate and facilitate negotiations to resolve the ongoing crisis.
Polio Vaccine Concerns
A two-year-old child in Meghalaya testing positive for vaccine-derived polio raised alarms about the implications for India's public health landscape. Vaccine-derived polio, resulting from the oral polio vaccine, can re-emerge in conditions where vaccination coverage is insufficient, posing potential outbreaks despite India being declared polio-free in 2014. Though the child's case does not affect India’s polio-free status, it underscores the risks associated with the oral vaccine and the need for vigilance in vaccination efforts. The discussion highlights the necessity of transitioning towards the inactivated polio vaccine to mitigate these risks and maintain herd immunity.
Strengthening Weather Forecasting in India
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) is set to undergo significant upgrades to enhance its forecasting capabilities in light of increasing extreme weather events. This initiative comes as climate change intensifies occurrences of disasters such as floods, heatwaves, and urban flooding, which have far-reaching implications for public safety and the economy. To improve accuracy, the IMD plans to bolster its observation network, computing power, and climate-specific modeling. These advancements aim to provide localized forecasts that can better inform disaster preparedness and mitigation strategies across India.
First, Indian Express' Diplomatic Affairs Editor, Shubhajit Roy, discusses the significance of PM Modi's visit to Ukraine and what it signals to India's Western allies and Russia.
Next, Indian Express' Anonna Dutt talks about the case of a two-year-old child from Meghalaya testing positive for vaccine-derived polio and the concerns it raises (13:08).
Finally, Indian Express' Amitabh Sinha explains how the IMD is set to receive a major upgrade, with the government planning to allocate thousands of crores to its budget (21:05).
Hosted, written and produced by Shashank Bhargava Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
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