After concerns were raised about “expired” Covaxin vaccines being administered to children, the Health Ministry issuing a clarification calling the claims “false and misleading” and based on “incomplete information”.

Shelf Life of Vaccine

• The shelf life of vaccines has been extended by the national regulator, Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), based on a comprehensive analysis and examination of stability study data furnished by vaccine manufacturers.
• Last year, Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of Health, too, had extended the shelf life of the Pfizer vaccine from six to nine months.

Stability Tests

• According to WHO, stability is the ability of a vaccine to retain its chemical, physical, microbiological and biological properties within specified limits throughout its shelf life.
• Stability tests determine a vaccine’s shelf life and storage conditions.
• They monitor the vaccine’s stability when it’s marketed commercially.
• They are conducted to support manufacturing changes by demonstrating comparability of the product manufactured through different processes.

How is shelf life calculated?

• Shelf life is calculated by storing the product at different temperatures, for various lengths of time, and then testing its effectiveness.
• The shelf life establishes the expiry date of each batch, which means roughly beyond the date, the vaccine won’t raise immunity, it may still work but sub-optimally.
• Expiry dates do not affect the safety of the vaccine, rather its potency.
• The WHO says that any extension in the shelf life will only apply to vaccines not yet labelled and distributed.

The Situation in India

• The Manufacture of the vaccine has to submit data to the CDSCO to show that its vaccine retains its stability for longer periods.
• If the regulator is satisfied with the data, it can extend the expiry period.
• Last year, in February, the CDSCO had extended the shelf life of Covishield and in October done the same for Covaxin from nine to 12 months.

Tamil Nadu renews push to get Ramsar tag for 13 wetlands.

Criteria for Ramsar Wetland Sites

• Group A of the Criteria. Sites containing representative, rare or unique wetland types
  • Criterion 1: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it contains a representative, rare, or unique example of a natural or near-natural wetland type found within the appropriate biogeographic region.
• Group B of the Criteria. Sites of international importance for conserving biological diversity
• Criteria based on species and ecological communities
  • Criterion 2: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it supports vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered species or threatened ecological communities.
  • Criterion 3: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it supports populations of plant and/or animal species important for maintaining the biological diversity of a particular biogeographic region.
  • Criterion 4: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it supports plant and/or animal species at a critical stage in their life cycles, or provides refuge during adverse conditions.
• Specific criteria based on waterbirds
  • Criterion 5: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it regularly supports 20,000 or more waterbirds.
  • Criterion 6: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it regularly supports 1% of the individuals in a population of one species or subspecies of waterbird.
• Specific criteria based on fish
  • Criterion 7: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it supports a significant proportion of indigenous fish subspecies, species or families, life-history stages, species interactions and/or populations that are representative of wetland benefits and/or values and thereby contributes to global biological diversity.
  • Criterion 8: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it is an important source of food for fishes, spawning ground, nursery and/or migration path on which fish stocks, either within the wetland or elsewhere, depend.
• Specific criteria based on other taxa
  • Criterion 9: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it regularly supports 1% of the individuals in a population of one species or subspecies of wetland-dependent non-avian animal species.
• Sites identified by TN

Cabinet approves MoU between India and Nepal for construction of bridge over Mahakali River at Dharchula (India) – Dharchula (Nepal).

Mahakali River

• The Sharda River, also called Kali River and Mahakali River, originates at Kalapani in the Himalayas at an elevation of 3,600 m (11,800 ft) in the Pithoragarh district in Uttarakhand, India.
• It flows along Nepal's western border with India and has a basin area.
• It joins Ghaghra River, a tributary of the Ganges.
• It takes the name Kali River from the union of the two streams at Gunji as it flows through the hills.
• After Brahmadev Mandi near Tanakpur, it enters the Terai plains, where it is called Sharda River.
• River Projects: Tanakpur hydro-electric project, Chameliya hydro-electric project, Sharda Barrage.

Mahakali Treaty

• The Mahakali Treaty, signed in February 1996 between India and Nepal, pertains to sharing water of a river by the same name.
• The Mahakali Treaty basically aims at an integrated development of water resources in the Mahakali River and has been finalized on the basis of equal partnership.
• The scope of the Treaty covers the Sarada Barrage, the Tanakpur Barrage and the proposed Pancheswar project.

PFMS played an instrumental role in making the governance easier and accessible: CGA Deepak Das.

Public Finance Management System (PMFS)

Background

• Public Financial Management System (PFMS) initially started as a Plan scheme named CPSMS of the Planning Commission in 2008-09 as a pilot in four States of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab and Mizoram for four Flagship schemes e.g. MGNREGS, NRHM, SSA and PMGSY.
• After the initial phase of establishing a network across Ministries / Departments, it has been decided to undertake National rollout of CPSMS (PFMS) to link the financial networks of Central, State Governments and the agencies of State Governments.
• The scheme was included in 12th Plan initiative of Planning Commission and Ministry of Finance.

PMFS

• The Public Financial Management System (PFMS) is a web-based online software application developed and implemented by the Controller General of Accounts (CGA), Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, Government of India.
• PFMS started during 2009 with the objective of tracking funds released under all Plan schemes of Government of India, and real time reporting of expenditure at all levels of Programme implementation.
• Subsequently, the scope was enlarged to cover direct payment to beneficiaries under all Schemes.
• Gradually, it has been envisaged that digitization of accounts shall be achieved through PFMS and beginning with Pay & Accounts Offices payments, the O/o CGA did further value addition by bringing in more financial activities of the Government of India in the ambit of PFMS.

Sugarcane Breeding Institute launches tribal intervention project in Anamalai Tiger Reserve.

Anamalai Tiger Reserve

• Aanaimalai Tiger Reserve, earlier known as Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park (IGWLS&NP) and previously as Aanaimalai Wildlife Sanctuary, is a protected area located in the Anaimalai Hills of Tamil Nadu, India.
• It was declared tiger reserve in the year 2007.
• It is located to the South of Palakkad gap in the Southern Western Ghats.
• It is surrounded by Parambikulum Tiger Reserve on the East, Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary and Eravikulum National Park on the South Western side.
• The reserve is also surrounded by Nenmara, Vazhachal, Malayattur and Marayur reserved forests of Kerala.
• The Kariyan Shola, Grass hills and Manjampatti of Anamalai Tiger Reserve has been identified as world heritage site by the UNESCO.
• The IGWS has significant anthropological diversity with more than 4600 Adivasi people from six tribes of indigenous people living in 34 settlements.
• The tribes are the Kadars, Malasars, Malaimalasar s, Pulaiyars, Muduvars and the Eravallan (Eravalar).
• The Anamalai Tiger Reserve falls within the Western Ghats mountain chain of South West India, a region designated as one of 25 Global Biodiversity Hotspots.