PM Narendra Modi launches HPV vaccination drive

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched the nationwide Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination Programme, targeting girls aged 14 years across all States and Union Territories. The initiative was launched during his visit to Ajmer, Rajasthan. It aims at preventing cervical cancer and is part of the government’s larger effort to strengthen women’s health and advance preventive healthcare across the country.The programme will cover approximately 1.15 crore girls each year and the vaccine will be provided free of cost at designated government health facilities, including Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (Primary Health Centres), Community Health Centres, Sub-District and District Hospitals, and Government Medical Colleges.Vaccination will be voluntary, with parental or guardian consent obtained before administration. Each session will be supervised by trained medical officers and supported by skilled healthcare teams. All sites will have functional Cold Chain Points and access to 24×7 government health facilities to manage any rare Adverse Events Following Immunisation (AEFI).In a post on X, PM Modi wrote, “We are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the daughters of the country are healthy and prosperous. In this direction, this morning, around 11:30 AM, I will launch the nationwide HPV vaccination campaign in Ajmer, Rajasthan. The objective of this initiative is the prevention of cervical cancer. During this time, I will also have the opportunity to lay the foundation stones and inaugurate several projects, along with handing over appointment letters to my young colleagues.“Alongside the health initiative, PM Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects in Ajmer worth over Rs 16,680 crore. These include projects in urban development, roads, irrigation, drinking water supply, energy and industrial infrastructure. Key infrastructure projects include the 4-lane greenfield expressway from Bandikui to Jaipur, 6-lane highway in the Amritsar-Jamnagar Economic Corridor, and 8-lane carriageway in the Delhi-Vadodara Expressway. Foundations will also be laid for elevated roads, state highways, and major drinking water projects.Furthering the Government’s commitment to youth empowerment, PM Modi will distribute over 21,800 appointment letters to newly recruited government employees in Rajasthan.According to a Press Information Bureau (PIB) release, the nationwide HPV vaccination drive represents a significant step in India’s public health journey and aligns with the government’s vision of “Swastha Nari”, ensuring prevention, protection, and equity in women’s healthcare.

Jairam Ramesh (PTI image)

NEW DELHI: Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Saturday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi after US President Donald Trump praised Pakistan’s leadership amid the ongoing conflict between Islamabad and the Taliban.Reacting to Trump’s remarks praising Pakistan’s leadership, Ramesh took to X to express his disapproval.

He wrote, “President Trump’s full-throated and categorical support for Pakistan in its war with Afghanistan is another setback for Indian ‘huglomacy.’ He has once again gone out of his way to praise the man whose inflammatory remarks provided the backdrop to the terrorist attacks in Pahalgam on April 22nd, 2025 that were orchestrated by Pakistan.”

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Ramesh also pointed to economic concerns arising from India-US trade engagements. “Our economic diplomacy with the US has failed badly, as evinced by Mr. Modi suddenly surrendering to a clearly one-sided trade deal in which India has made firm pledges especially to import from American farmers, while the US has made vague commitments to allow for greater exports from India. Not only that, days after the agreement, the US imposed a 125.87% import duty on solar modules from India,” he wrote.On strategic diplomacy, Congress leader added, “Our strategic diplomacy has received repeated blows by President Trump repeatedly cozying up to the Pakistani establishment and reverting to the hyphenation of India and Pakistan. The Prime Minister may, through his means, manage to get awards. But the fact is that the self-declared Vishwaguru has been exposed and the world, especially the US, has got his measure.”The remarks come after Trump praised Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces, Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif amid Islamabad’s ongoing conflict with the Taliban. At a White House briefing, Trump said, “Well, I would [intervene], but I get along with Pakistan, as you know, very well. Very, very well. You have a great prime minister, you have a great general there, you have a great leader. I think two of the people that I really respect a lot. I think Pakistan is doing terrifically well.”Following Trump’s comments, US Under Secretary of State Allison Hooker also expressed Washington’s backing for Islamabad. She wrote on X, “Spoke today with Pakistan Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch to express condolences for lives lost in the recent conflict between Pakistan and the Taliban. We continue to monitor the situation closely and expressed support for Pakistan’s right to defend itself against Taliban attacks.”The escalation comes after Pakistan carried out airstrikes on Afghan cities this week, marking its most significant military action since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Subsequent Taliban retaliation triggered further Pakistani strikes, with defence minister Khawaja Asif declaring that Pakistan was now in an “open war” with Afghanistan.While countries like the UK have urged de-escalation, China called for a ceasefire and Iran offered to mediate, India has maintained a close watch over developments. The New Delhi government has repeatedly denied any US role in facilitating ceasefires between India and Pakistan, attributing progress to direct bilateral talks.

NEW DELHI: Congress leader and party’s deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi is likely to contest the upcoming Assam assembly election from Jorhat constituency, news agency ANI reported, citing party sources.This comes as the grand-old-party finalised candidates for as many as 40 seats during the Central Election Committee meeting held on Friday. “Congress will release its first list of candidates after the election announcement,” sources said.

Gogoi is currently serving as a member of Parliament from prestigious Jorhat Lok Sabha seat of Assam. In 2023 general elections, Gogoi – who is also Assam Congress chief – defeated Topon Kumar Gogoi.Gaurav secured 7,51,771 votes, while Topon managed to garner 6,07,378 votes, thereby winning by a margin of 1,44,393 votes.As a parliamentarian, Gogoi came to limelight after initiating the no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government in August 2023.Although Gaurav has always been vocal against the BJP government inside and outside the House, he shot to limelight after initiating the no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government in August last year. His speech became an instant hit, especially among the youths.Considered as a confidante of Rahul Gandhi, Gogoi has served member of several house committees such as the standing committee on railways, the consultative committee of ministry of communications and information technology, and committee on violation of protocol norms and contemptuous behaviour of government officers with members of Lok Sabha.Assam is set to hold assembly elections later this year, with the BJP, led by chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, aiming to retain power while facing a renewed challenge from the Congress.

NEW DELHI: In an unusual introspective remark, Chief Justice Surya Kant-led bench of the Supreme Court on Friday said on several occasions the apex court passes sweeping orders unmindful of India’s social ground realities and without understanding their adverse impact on the social fabric.When a bunch of petitions challenging the validity of the sedition provision in BNS and a provision in BNSS allowing police to conduct preliminary inquiry prior to registration of FIR came up for hearing, senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy said permitting police to conduct preliminary inquiry prior to registration of FIR was in violation of SC ruling in the 2014 Lalita Kumari judgment.

The SC in the 2014 judgment had ruled that if a complaint disclosed a cognizable offence, then the police must immediately register an FIR but can conduct preliminary inquiry into such complaints relating to matrimonial disputes, medical negligence and some other categories of cases.If police can’t verify complaint before FIR, who else will: SCCJI Kant said, to test the validity of provisions of any new law, one must wait for a few years to observe its working and on finding lacunae; the same could be challenged. “Do you know how Lalita Kumari ruling is abused by filing frivolous cases for registration of FIRs? How judicial forums are abused,” he asked.The CJI said, “In some cases, we pass sweeping orders as if sitting in ivory towers and without realising the social realities in the country. Frivolous complaints lodged in the heat of the moment in rural areas, when converted to FIRs, have the potential of causing deep animosity in society.”Justice Kant said, “We pass sweeping orders in the name of protecting fundamental rights which in reality disturb the social fabric.” Guruswamy said how can the police have the power to determine the veracity of a complaint at the time of registration of FIR to argue that police can do so after registering the FIR.The bench said, “If police can’t determine the veracity of the complaint prior to converting it into an FIR, who else will?” Justice Bagchi said, “Lalita Kumar judgment gives the power of preliminary inquiry power to police in several categories of cases, including matrimonial disputes. Legislature has reflected this aspect in the law with respect to the degree of punishment provided for the offences. Such a provision cannot be at the teeth of Lalita Kumari judgment.”Guruswamy argued that the sedition provision was incorporated in BNS despite Union govt undertaking before the SC not to do it. SC said, “Union govt can give such an undertaking. But Parliament is not bound by it. Parliament has the exclusive power to enact legislation. While testing its validity, SC can interpret and read it down.” It posted the petitions for a detailed hearing in March second week.

SRINAGAR: Public Safety Act (PSA) was invoked by authorities against a suspect with “non-seriousness” that beats even the sloppiness in issuing a “routine traffic challan”, Jammu and Kashmir high court has held and ordered release of the man jailed nearly two years under J&K’s preventive detention law.The single-judge bench of Justice Rahul Bharti quashed the April 20, 2024, detention order against Shabir Ahmad Dar, 28, ruling that the action against the resident of Anantnag’s Kokernag was “illegal right from its inception”. PSA allows detention up to two years without trial.“This court has no hesitation in observing that J&K Public Safety Act against the petitioner has been invoked by non-seriousness of standard with which even a motorist is not subjected to a routine traffic challan,” Justice Bharti said in a recent order.J&K politicians, especially former CM Mehbooba Mufti and Peoples Conference’s Sajad Lone, have long alleged hundreds of illegal PSA detentions and pressed for the release of such people.In this case, the Anantnag SSP had submitted a dossier against Dar to the district magistrate (DM) in April, 17, 2024 seeking Dar’s PSA detention, claiming his activities were “prejudicial to J&K’s security”. Twelve days later, the DM ordered Dar’s detention in a Jammu prison. Section 8 of PSA gives J&K DMs’ powers to detain anyone under PSA on grounds of security.In this case, the Anantnag DM relied on the police dossier of two pages and an FIR of July 2022 under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) to book Dar. The grounds of detention mentioned Dar’s work at a madrassa in Kokernag as well as alleged suspicious activities on social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp and Snapchat.Dar moved the HC against detention in May 2024. Justice Bharti held that his detention “is literally on the dictation of the SSP Anantnag, with the DM Anantnag, at no point of time applying his own independent mind”.Justice Bharti questioned how the authorities could cite an FIR in which Dar did not figure as an accused or an undertrial to justify their apprehension about “alleged activities perceived to be prejudicial to the security of the State”.“To put it simply, the petitioner has been subjected to preventive detention custody just by a blank reference on the part of the SSP followed by equally bland application of mind on the part of the DM Anantnag,” the HC held.