India

Mumbai, Sep 12 (IANS) A clinical trial conducted at the Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) has indicated that a simple, low-cost intervention can drastically increase the cure and survival rate among breast cancer patients, top officials said here on Monday.

The landmark multi-centre clinical trials were conducted in women undergoing breast cancer surgery and it emerged that injection of a commonly used drug around the tumour - just prior to surgery, on the operation table - could drastically enhance the cure and survival rate of the patients on a long-term basis.

Director of TMC, Rajendra Badwe, who carried out the trials, presented the results at the ongoing European Society of Medical Oncology Congress in Paris on Monday, and simultaneously TMC's professor Sudeep Gupta addressed the media on the findings in Mumbai.

The trial outcome shows that the injection needs no additional expertise, is affordable, barely Rs 100 per patient, but can result in saving at least 100,000 lives of breast cancer patients annually worldwide, said Badwe.

In comparison, expensive, targeted drugs costing over Rs 10 lakh per patient have shown far less benefits in early breast cancer patients, as per the study titled 'Effect of Peri-Tumoral Infiltration of Local Anaesthetic Prior to Surgery on Survival in Early Breast Cancer'.

Spearheaded by Badwe, the study was conducted on 1,600 women planning to undergo early breast cancer surgery at 11 cancer centres in India, including TMC, over 11 years from 2011-2022, said Gupta.

"This is the first study of its kind globally showing a sizable benefit by single intervention prior to surgery. For scientists, it opens a window of peri-operative intervention to modulate the environment of cancer in such a way as to prevent its deleterious reaction to the surgery," Badwe told the Paris conference.

Gupta said in Mumbai that the inexpensive and immediately implementable treatment in breast cancer can be practised by any surgeon who treats the disease, as shown from a large randomised trial, which is the 'gold standard' of evaluating the worth of new treatments.

Detailing on the study, the duo said half the patients (out of the 1,600) were part of the 'control group', who received standard surgery followed by the usual post-operative treatment comprising chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone therapy as per guidelines.

The other half was the intervention group, who received an injection of a common local anaesthesia agent, 0.5 per cent lidocaine, all around the tumour just before the surgery, and later underwent the same post-operative treatment as given to the control group.

After treatment, the patients were regularly followed-up for several years till the cut-off date of September 2021 to compare the cure and survival rates between the control group and the local anaesthesia group.

"As expected, there was no toxicity of lignocaine in patients who received it (the injection). The six-year disease-free survival was 81.7 per cent in the control group and 86.1 per cent in the local anaesthesia group for a 26 per cent relative reduction in the risk of a relapse or death - considered significant in statistical terms.

Similarly, the six-year over survival rate was 86.2 per cent versus 89.9 per cent in the two groups for a 29 per cent reduction in death risk with the local anaesthetic injection, again critically important, said Badwe.

His earlier research suggested a window of opportunity just prior to, during and immediately after surgical removal of the primary cancer when anti-cancer interventions could reduce the risk of development of disseminated Stage 4 metastatic cancer during the patient's lifespan.

The institutions where the clinical trials were conducted are: TMC Mumbai, Kolhapur Cancer Centre, Sterling Multi-speciality Hospital, Pune, and Siddhivinayak Ganapati Cancer Hospital, Sangli (all Maharashtra); All India Institute of Medical Sciences and Max Superspeciality Hospital (both Delhi); B. Borooah Cancer Centre, Guwahati; Basavatarakam Indo-American Cancer Hospital & Research Centre, Hyderabad; Gujarat Cancer & Research Institute, Ahmedabad; Malabar Cancer Centre, Thalassery (Kerala); and North-Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health & Medical Sciences, Shillong.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 12 (IANS) The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has now officially confirmed the pan India raids which were conducted at 50 locations in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and the Delhi-NCR region to dismantle and disrupt the emerging nexus between terrorists, gangsters and drug smugglers and traffickers based in India and abroad.

"The NIA crackdown followed the launch of investigations against this nexus by the NIA after the re-registration of 2 cases, earlier registered by the Delhi Police, on August 26. A few of the most desperate gang leaders and their associates based in India and abroad, who are spearheading and carrying out such terror and criminal activities were identified and booked," said the official.

The official said that the recent sensational crimes and extortion calls by criminal syndicates and gangsters to businessmen, professionals including doctors had created panic among the people. These gangs were using cyber-space to publicise these crimes to create terror among the public at large.

The NIA learnt during it's investigations that such criminal acts were not isolated local incidents but there was a deep rooted conspiracy involving terrorists, gangsters and drug smuggling cartels and networks, who were operating from both within and outside the country.

"Many gang leaders and members have fled India and were now operating from foreign countries, including Pakistan, Canada, Malaysia, Australia. The ongoing probes by the NIA in cases being investigated by the Agency, such as the killing of Shaurya Chakra Awardee Comrade Balwinder Singh in Punjab also revealed that most of these conspiracies were being hatched from inside the jails of different states and were being executed by an organised network of operatives based abroad," the official said.

Preliminary investigations have revealed that these gangs were carrying out target killings to terrorise the public to extort money for running and promoting their criminal syndicates and activities. These gangs were also raising funds through smuggling of drugs and weapons.

In its ongoing efforts to dismantle these transnational terror and crime networks, the NIA conducted searches at 50 locations in Fazilka, Faridkot, Muktsar Sahib, Moga, Tarn Taran, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Chandigarh, Mohali district of Punjab, East Gurugram, Bhiwani, Yamunanagar, Sonepat and Jhajjar districts of Haryana, Hanumangarh and Ganganagar districts of Rajasthan and Dwarka, Outer North, North West, North East and Shahdara districts of Delhi-NCR.

"Searches were conducted today morning at the premises of Goldy Brar (Canada), Lawrence Bishnoi, Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, Varinder Pratap alias Kala Rana, Kala Jathedi, Vikram Brar, Gaurav Patyal alias Lucky Patyal (who was earlier arrested in Armenia), Neeraj Bawana, Koushal Chaudhary, Tillu Tajpuria, Amit Dagar, Deepak Kumar alias Tinu, Sandeep alias Bandar, Umesh alias Kala, Irfan alias Cheenu Pahalwan, Ashim alias Hashim Baba, Sachin Bhanja and their associates.

"During the searches, six pistols, one revolver, one shotgun, have been seized, along with ammunition. Apart from the above, drugs, cash, incriminating documents, digital devices, details of benami property, threat letters have also been seized by the NIA.

"Further investigations will continue to dismantle these terror networks as well as their funding and support infrastructure," said the official.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 12 (IANS) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Monday that India is rapidly moving towards joining the three armed forces and efforts are on to have common logistic nodes so that the resources of one service can be made available to the other in a seamless manner.

"We are rapidly moving towards connectivity of all three services," Singh said, adding that "Our effort is to have common logistic nodes so that the resources of one service can be seamlessly made available to other services."

The Defence Minister spoke of the necessary synergy and fusion between civil and military stakeholders, and stressed that the presence of representatives from different sectors from both sides shows the "commitment" to achieving the goal that India envisions.

In the programme organised at Manekshaw Centre in Delhi Cantonment, he said that logistics is one of the sectors which has benefited the most from this collaboration.

Addressing the seminar on Army Logistics here, the Union Minister said that India has made rapid progress in the rail sector and more than 9,000 km of lines have been doubled in the last seven years. He said in the five years before 2014, the figure was only 1,900 kms.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 12 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that milk production in the country has gone up to 210 million tonnes from 146 million tonnes in 2014, which is an increase of 44 per cent.

Addressing dignitaries after inaugurating the International Dairy Federation World Dairy Summit 2022 in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, Modi said that as compared to 2 per cent production growth at the global level, India is clocking 6 per cent growth in milk production.

He informed that the government is working on developing a blanched dairy ecosystem where challenges of the sectors are being addressed along with a focus on increasing production.

"Extra income for the farmers, empowerment of the poor, swachhta, chemical-free farming, clean energy and care of the cattle is interlinked in this ecosystem," he informed.

The Prime Minister pointed out that unlike other developed countries of the world, the driving force of the dairy sector in India is small farmers. India's dairy sector is characterized by "production by masses" more than "mass production", he said.

India is the largest milk-producing country on the basis of the efforts of these small farmers with one, two or three cattle. This sector provides employment to more than eight crore families in the country, Modi informed.

He reiterated that there is a huge network of dairy cooperatives in India and one cannot find such an example in the whole world elsewhere.

The Prime Minister further informed that these dairy cooperatives collect milk twice a day from about two crore farmers in more than two lakh villages in the country and deliver it to the customers. He underlined the fact that there is no middleman in the entire process, and more than 70 per cent of the money that is received from the customers goes directly into the pockets of the farmers.

"No other country has this ratio in the whole world", he added, while underlining the efficiency of the digital system of payment in the dairy sector and said that it has many lessons for other countries.

--IANS
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Ayodhya, Sep 12 (IANS) The cost of construction of the grand Ram temple is expected to be around Rs 1,800 crores.

Champat Rai, general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, told reporters that this was a revised estimate.

He said this after a meeting of the trust on Sunday evening.

The Trust also finalised its rules and regulations in the meeting that was presided over by Nripendra Misra, chairman of the Ram temple construction committee.

"After several revisions, we have reached this estimate. Even this might go up," Rai said about the construction cost.

The Trust has also decided to use white marble in construction of the idol of Lord Ram.

Idols of several other deities of the Ramayan era will also come up at the Ram temple.

"Rules and regulations of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust have been finalised. We have been working on it for the past several months," Champat Rai said.

The construction of the temple is expected to be completed by December 2023 and Lord Ram is expected to be seated in the sanctum sanctorum by the Makar Sankranti festival in January 2024, Rai said.

He also said 14 of the 15 trust members attended the meeting.

--IANS
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Varanasi, Sep 12 (IANS) Prohibitory orders under Section 144 have been imposed in Varanasi, ahead for the verdict by the district judge on the maintainability of the suit seeking worshiping right at Shringar Gauri and other deities in Gyanvapi mosque compound, filed by five women plaintiffs.

Varanasi Commissioner of Police (CP) A. Satish Ganesh said that a fool proof security plan is in place for Monday.

He said that police and paramilitary forces will also be deployed in and around areas having mixed population.

Claiming that patrolling vehicles will be positioned at strategic points, the official said quick reaction teams have been formed to act in case of eventuality. Any bid to disturb the law-and-order situation would be dealt with strictly, Ganesh said, appealing to people not to get misled by rumours.

Following the directive of the Supreme Court to decide the maintainability of the case 693/2021 on priority, the district judge had started the hearings on May 20.

With final submissions by Anjuman Intezamia Masjid -- the mosque management committee -- and advocates of the five women plaintiffs seeking worshipping rights at Shringar Gauri in Gyanvapi mosque compound on August 24, the hearing on maintainability of case 692/2021 Rakhi Singh vs state of Uttar Pradesh and others had concluded at the court of district judge Ajay Krishna Vishvesha.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 12 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday arrested a resident engineer of a private company based in Gurugram and three other persons including the bribe giver in an alleged bribery case of Rs 15 lakh.

A senior CBI official said that a case was registered against Anil Kumar Singh, the resident engineer of Voyants Solutions Private Limited based in Gurugram, and two directors of SRSC Infra Private Limited, Bedram Sharma, Parsuram Sharma and its employee Anand Mohan Sharma.

The official said that it was alleged in the complaint that Singh, (the Consultant appointed by NHAI to monitor the progress of a project awarded to Mathura based private company on Sitarganj-Bareilly Section of NH 74) had demanded bribe from the officials of SRSC for passing their bills under the project.

Singh and the employee of SRSC were intercepted and trapped by the CBI while exchanging a bribe amount of Rs 15 lakh. The official said that two other accused (named in FIR) were also caught.

"Searches were conducted at eight locations belonging to the accused at Pilibhit, Gurugram, Mathura and Noida which resulted in recovery of huge cash of Rs 1.56 crore, incriminating documents pertaining to the transactions and project and digital devices, including mobiles," said the CBI official.

All the four arrested individuals would be presented at a court soon, officials said.

--IANS
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Bhopal, Sep 11 (IANS) Prominent Hindu seer -- Shankaracharya of Jyotish, Dwarka and Sharda peeth -- Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati died at his ashram in Madhya Pradesh's Narsinghpur district on Sunday.

The 99-year-old seer -- perhaps the oldest surviving Shankaracharya, passed away following prolonged illness.

As per the information, the seer breathed last at around 3.30 p.m. after a mild heart attack at the Jhoteshwar Paramhansi Ganga Ashram.

Just a few days ago, the seer had celebrated his 99th birthday on the occasion of Hartalika Teej.

Narsinghpur MLA and former MP Vidhan Sabha Speaker N.P. Prajapati (who is among the Shankaracharya's disciples), informed that his Samadhi (symbolic funeral) will take place at 4 p.m. on Monday near the hillside Ashram in the same Narsinghpur district.

Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati was born at a village known as Dighori in Seoni district in Madhya Pradesh in 1924.

He was born in a Brahmin family and his childhood name was Potiram Upadhyay. He had left home when aged just nine years only in pursuit of god.

He was a direct disciple of Shankaracharya Brahmananda Saraswati of Jyotir Math and of Shankaracharya (disputed) Krishnabodha Ashrama of Jyotirmath.

In 1950, his Guru Brahmananda made him a Dandi Sanyasi. He became the president of Akhil Bhartiya Ram Rajya Parishad established by Swami Karpatriji.

On Krishnabodha Ashrama's demise in 1973, the title of Shankaracharya (disputed) of Jyotir Math, Badrinath passed to Swami Swaroopanand. Nine years later in 1982, he also became the Shankaracharya of Dwarka Peeth.

When aged just 18, he had become a part of the country's freedom movement and was known as "Revolutionary Sadhu" for taking part in the 1942 Quit India Movement. He was jailed for it and served a prison sentence for around a year and half.

He not only was a veteran Hindu seer, but also held strong opinion on host of other issues, spanning from Ganga pollution, Uniform Civil Code, Abrogation of Article 370 of Indian Constitution, cow and bull slaughter, women worshipping Shani, on Shirdi Sai Baba and on the RSS and coming to power of the Narendra Modi-led BJP in the 2014 general elections.

He had also claimed that the Bhoomi Pujan of the proposed Ram Temple in Ayodhya by PM Modi on August 5, 2020 was done in an inauspicious muhurt.

He had countless disciples spread all over the country, including key politicians, among them former MP CM Digvijaya Singh.

The nonagenarian Shankaracharya's demise sent shock waves across the country, with many politicians and public personalities, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, union home minister Amit Shah, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, ex-MP CM Digvijaya Singh and MP Congress chief Kamal Nath, UP CM Yogi Adityanath, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, besides film actor Ashutosh Rana, taking to the Twitter to condole the death of the seer.

Politicians, including Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and MP Congress chief Kamal Nath expressed their condolences to the demise of the Shankaracharya.

"The news of the death of Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati, the revered Shankaracharya of Paschim Amnaya Shri Shardapeeth, established by Lord Shankaracharya, is very sad. Your incomparable contribution to the Indian knowledge tradition will be remembered by the whole world for eternity," Shivraj Singh Chouhan tweeted.

Madhya Pradesh Congress Commitee head and former chief minister Kamal expressed his condolence sharing a photograph of his meeting with the seer during his 99th birthday.

"Just a few days ago, by attending his 99th Praktyotsav and Centenary Entrance Year Festival, bowing down to his feet and blessing him," Kamal Nath tweeted.

--IANS
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Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 11 (IANS) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is on the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' from Kanniyakumari to Kashmir, was caught in another controversy on Sunday after he skipped a function for inauguration of memorials of two noted Gandhians of Kerala.

Both the Gandhians - Gopinathan Nair and K.E. Maman - are highly respected in the state.

Rahul Gandhi was passing near the Noorul Islam Medical Sciences (NIMS) at Neyyatinkara during his Yatra and the organisers of the Kerala leg of the journey had agreed that he would inaugurate the memorials of the two Gandhians, constructed at the hospital building. The hospital had taken care of both the Gandhians in their medical emergencies.

While Gandhi passed in front of the NIMS hospital, he did not stop to inaugurate the memorials.

This led to controversy as families and friends of both the Gandhians, including the wife of late Gopinathan Nair, were waiting at the hospital premises for the function.

Congress's state unit President K. Sudhakaran later apologised for the goof-up and promised the NIMS Managing Director that a separate function would be organised for the inauguration.

MP Shashi Tharoor criticised Gandhi for skipping the event, saying: "Such things affect the credibility."

--IANS
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Hyderabad, Sep 11 (IANS) It's finally official. Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao will soon launch a national political party.

During a meeting with former Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy here on Sunday, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) President stated that the formation of the national party and formulation of policies will soon take place.

KCR, as Rao is popularly known, has been holding discussions with intellectuals, economists, and experts from various fields to work out an alternative national agenda.

KCR told the Janata Dal-Secular leader that TRS party leaders from the village level, district, and state level Presidents and Secretaries are also adopting resolutions to float a national party.

--IANS
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