Swarajya

"Bhagwan Sri Ram has been a great unifier during his time. And it is as if the Nirgun form of Ram, or, to speak in contemporary terms, the idea of Ram, Ram ek soch hai sort of concept, is again unifying India.

"Our great-grandfather Prabhakarji Sompura was the architect of the iconic Somnath Temple in Gujarat, the first temple built in independent India.

On 27 February 2002, the S/6 coach of the Sabarmati Express was set ablaze near Godhra, in which about 59 passengers, including 27 women & 10 children, were burned alive & 48 others were severely injured.

Over 50 karsevaks and others were killed in police firings ordered by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav on 30 October 1990 and 2 November 1990.

In the second episode of All About Ayodhya ft. Swati Goel Sharma we discuss why Karsevakpuram is a must-visit for all Ram Bhakts.

In the first episode of Swarajya's new podcast series All About Ayodhya ft. Swati Goel Sharma, we discuss Hanuman Garhi in detail - History, landscape, and more.

Jason Miller is an American communications strategist, political adviser and CEO, best known as the chief spokesman for the Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign and transition of Donald Trump. He was a Senior Adviser to the Trump 2020 re-election campaign. Miller was formerly a partner and executive vice-president at Jamestown Associates.

Last Tuesday, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav sealed an alliance with Om Prakash Rajbhar’s Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), a former BJP ally.  In the 2017 Assembly polls, out of the 325 seats in the 403-member House won by the BJP and its allies, the SBSP had won four after contesting in eight. Then BJP chief Amit Shah had held a rally with Rajbhar in Mau in the run-up to the 2017 polls, something that Akhilesh Yadav did on Tuesday.  

The Rajbhar community accounts for an estimated 3-4 per cent of UP’s population. This may be a small proportion, but the fact that the community is concentrated in eastern UP — which means a higher proportion of the population in that region — gives it the potential to sway several seats in the upcoming elections. Besides, the SBSP’s support base is not restricted just to the Rajbhar community, but also extends to other Most Backward Classes (MBCs) such as Chauhan, Pal, Prajapati, Vishwakarma, Bhar, Mallah, and Vishwakarma. 

Out of 90 seats in eastern UP’s 18 districts, there are around 25-30 constituencies where Rajbhars are high in number, including up to 1 lakh in some of them. In its near-sweep of the state, the BJP gained significantly in eastern UP, growing from 14 seats in 2012 to 72 in 2017, while the SP slipped from 52 to 9. 

The SBSP itself claims that its influence spreads wider, covering 150 seats, and that the alliance helped the NDA win 146 of these seats.  The SP has already forged an alliance with the Mahan Dal Party, which is another party that addresses the Backward Classes, and is headed by Keshav Dev Maurya.

Since the announcement about Covaxin data submission by Bharat Biotech for the approval from World Health Organization (WHO), reports have been emerging, predicting the date for the final decision on the Indian Covid -19 vaccine.

According to WHO’s chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan, the agency’s technical advisory group will meet on 26 October to consider granting Emergency Use Listing (EUL) to the vaccine. 

Many people in India are keeping an eye on it because their travel plans are dependent on the WHO's EUL for the vaccine. Young people who have taken Covaxin and want to study abroad are hoping for approval from the UN agency, as numerous nations, notably the United States, have declared they will recognise vaccines approved by the global health body.

Despite the fact that various public health organisations have spoken out against requiring vaccination as a condition of travel, the practice continues in a number of nations, including in Europe.  

Earlier this week, the WHO said on Twitter that it understands that many people are waiting for its recommendation on whether Bharat Biotech's Covid vaccine Covaxin should be added to the EUL, but it can't rush it, adding that it needs more evidence from the Hyderabad-based vaccine maker.

Yesterday (21 October), India crossed the remarkable milestone of 100 crore Covid-19 vaccinations. What makes this achievement especially impressive is that it was achieved in only nine months of the start of the drive. This is a testament to the state capacity of India and proves once again how efficient it can be when it sets its eyes on executing a particular project.  

As we celebrate this stupendous accomplishment, there are four things that need to be realised.  First, while one has to appreciate the Narendra Modi-led government for delivering on the execution front and especially the brilliant way it used technology and developed the CoWin platform, the man who deserves overwhelming credit for the vaccine century, is Adar Poonawalla whose Serum Institute of India (SII) is responsible for around 88 per cent of total doses administered in the country so far.   

Second, the low figure of fully vaccinated people shouldn’t worry us as of now. Third, the biggest signal of vaccination drive reaching its end is the slowing pace of daily vaccinations. That’s what is happening in India as well.  

Fourth, estimating that 65 crore people can be fully vaccinated (at max) by this year’s end and Dose 1 coverage reaches 75 crore (80 per cent of total adult population), this means that we will be needing around 40 crore doses until new year (on the higher side). With monthly capacity already at 25 crore and around 11 crore doses still in stock with the states, it gives India enough space to indulge in smart vaccine diplomacy and also allow Serum to meet its prior international commitments. We can hope to export 20-25 crore doses by this year’s end. With a total export of 30 crore doses (including 6.5 crore doses supplied earlier), image of India as the biggest force for good during the Covid-19 pandemic would be burnished.