India counters China on red pandas; DNA finds Himalayan and Chinese sub-species exist here

Nepal to begin inoculation drive for elderlies from next month

As the vaccination drive has already been kicked off in the Himalayan nation, the inoculation drive for elderly and most vulnerable age groups will commence from next month. Nepal has received the first batch of one million COVISHIELD Vaccine developed by Serum Institute of India on Sunday via Air India flight. The vaccines would be used to inoculate people above 60 years of age, which is 8.73 per cent of Nepal's population, in the vaccination drive that will begin on March 7. According to the Ministry of Health and Population, there are 2,652,258 elderly people above 60 years in the country. On January 21st 2021, Nepal had received a total of One Million COVISHIELD Vaccine from India under grant assistance.

Watch: First high dam on Yamuna raises environmental concerns

The first high dam on the Yamuna is scheduled to come up at Lakhwar in Dehradun and Tehri in Uttarakhand after the Union environment ministry’s expert appraisal committee recommended the 300MW Lakhwar Multipurpose Project for environmental clearance in its December 2 meeting last year. Residents of Lohari village along the Yamuna are both happy and anxious about the project. The Lakhwar Project is contentious as it will impact a large forest area. Dams on Himalayan rivers can also amplify glacier burst, flash floods etc. Watch this ground report filed by Hindustan Times’ Jayashree Nandi from Lohari village in Uttarakhand.