Is India Winning the War Against Rising Non-Communicable Diseases? The latest health statistics paint a concerning picture: diabetes, heart disease, and cancer rates are climbing, impacting millions across the country. From rural healthcare access to the burgeoning urban health crisis, challenges remain significant. This week, we delve into the crucial initiatives underway – government policies, technological advancements in telemedicine, and the rising role of preventative healthcare – that aim to address this national health emergency. Experts weigh in on the effectiveness of current strategies and the critical need for increased public awareness campaigns targeting lifestyle diseases. Are these efforts enough? Explore Abtak.com's in-depth coverage on healthcare in India and discover the vital information you need to protect your well-being and the future of public health. Stay informed; stay healthy.
HYDERABAD, India (AP) - The death toll from Monday's massive explosion and fire at a pharmaceutical factory in India´s southern state of Telangana has risen to at least 36 while about three dozen were left injured, authorities said Tuesday. The fire department recovered the charred bodies of 34 workers from the accident site in an industrial area about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the state capital Hyderabad, the state´s fire services director G.V. Narayana Rao told The Associated Press. Two other workers succumbed to burns and were pronounced dead in hospital, Rao said, adding that debris of the gutted pharmaceutical unit of Sigachi Industries was still being removed to find out if any more workers were trapped. Nearly three dozen injured workers were admitted to hospitals, he said. "The whole structure of the factory has collapsed. Fire has been doused, and we hope to finish removing the debris in the next few hours," Rao said. The explosion and subsequent fire was reported on Monday in the factory´s spray dryer unit, which is used to process raw material into fine powder for making drugs, Rao said. Rescue workers look for survivors after at an explosion and a fire at a pharmaceutical factory in an industrial area in Sangareddy, some 50 kilometers (31 miles) from Hyderabad, India, Monday, June 30, 2025. (AP Photo) The state´s Health Minister Damodar Raja Narasimha said there were 108 workers inside the factory at the time of the explosion. "As bodies were badly burnt and mutilated, a special medical team has been deployed to conduct DNA tests", said Narasimha, adding the state government has set up a panel to investigate the cause of the incident. Witnesses said they heard the explosion from a couple of kilometers away from the site. India is home to some of the world´s top pharmaceutical companies, playing a pivotal role in the global supply of generic medicines and vaccines. The country´s robust manufacturing and cost-effective production have made it a hub for pharma giants. Industrial accidents, particularly involving chemical reactors, aren´t uncommon in such factories, underlining the need for authorities to implement stringent safety protocols and regulatory oversight in a sector critical to public health. Sigachi Industries Limited is an Indian company dealing with active pharmaceutical ingredients, intermediates and vitamin-mineral blends, according to the company´s website. It has five manufacturing facilities across India and subsidiaries in the U.S and the United Arab Emirates. Firefighters extinguish a fire after an explosion at a pharmaceutical factory in an industrial area in Sangareddy some 50 kilometers (31 miles) from Hyderabad, India, Monday, June 30, 2025. (AP Photo)
India's pharmaceutical industry, valued at $50 billion, is booming as a global leader in generic drugs. With significant exports to 200+ countries, India meets a substantial portion of global demand for affordable medicine. Challenges include regulatory hurdles and quality assurance, as the nation aims to expand its generic drug market. The Indian pharmaceutical industry, currently valued at $50 billion, is playing an increasingly crucial role on the global stage. Renowned as the 'pharmacy of the world,' India's pharma sector is a major exporter, supplying essential generic drugs to over 200 ...Read More >
PRAYAGRAJ, India (AP) -- Millions of Hindu devotees, mystics and holy men and women from all across India flocked to the northern city of Prayagraj on Monday to kickstart the Maha Kumbh festival, which is being touted as the world's largest religious gathering. Over about the next six weeks, Hindu pilgrims will gather at the confluence of three sacred rivers -- the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati -- where they will take part in elaborate rituals, hoping to begin a journey to achieve Hindu philosophy's ultimate goal: the release from the cycle of rebirth. Here's what to know abo ...Read More >
HYDERABAD: The death toll from the massive explosion at a multi-storey chemical plant in Telangana's Medak district climbed to 35 by Tuesday morning, with several workers injured and many still unaccounted for.Rescue operations are ongoing, and officials fear the toll may rise further as teams continue to sift through the rubble in search of those possibly trapped beneath the collapsed building.The government area hospital in Patancheru, where post-mortem examinations are being conducted, confirmed 35 deaths so far.The workers at the plant hail from multiple states, including Telangana, Andhra ...Read More >
Bengaluru, Jul 1 (PTI) In the wake of recent cases of deaths due to heart attacks in Hassan, Karnataka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said that "hasty approval and distribution" of the Covid vaccine to the public could also be a reason for these deaths. He urged everyone to visit the nearest health center immediately for a check-up if they have symptoms such as chest pain or difficulty breathing, and not to ignore these signs. The chief minister said that more than twenty people have died due to heart attacks in the past month alone in just one district of Hassan. "The government i ...Read More >
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], July 3 (ANI): Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, the Executive Chairperson of Biocon Limited, refuted the allegation of the Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, in which he attributed more than twenty deaths due to heart attacks in the past one month in district of Hassan to COVID vaccines. She said that it was factually incorrect to suggest that COVID vaccines were hastily approved. Also Read | Heart Attacks Being Linked to COVID-19 Vaccines After 4 Years of Being Vaccinated Does Not Stack Up, Says Biocon Chief Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw. In a post on X, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw sai ...Read More >
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has charged five individuals, including goldy Brar, in relation to the 2024 Gurugram club bombing plot, as revealed in a recently filed chargesheet. This case involves a conspiracy to bomb two clubs, aiming to disrupt communal harmony in Haryana, with the banned terrorist group Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) implicated. The NIA's investigation highlights the severity of the plot. Those charged include satinderjit Singh (Goldy Brar), Sachin Talian, Ankit, Bhavish, and Randeep Singh. News Directory 3 provides crucial updates on sensitive cases such ...Read More >
Hyderabad: A devastating explosion at a chemical manufacturing unit in Pashamylaram industrial area in Sangareddy district, claimed 15 lives and left 34 workers injured. The tragic incident occurred on Monday at Sigachi Industries Pvt Ltd which manufactures microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) powder used in pharmaceutical, food and other industries. Eyewitnesses said there was a loud explosion, shaking nearby areas and sending thick black smoke into the sky. The factory was soon engulfed in flames, triggering panic among employees and nearby residents. The incident occurred around 9 am on Monday ...Read More >
Mumbai: Dr Reddy's Laboratories has entered into a collaboration with Reykjavik, Ireland-based biotech company Alvotech to co-develop, manufacture and commercialise a biosimilar version of blockbuster cancer drug Keytruda for the global markets. Keytruda (generic name is pembrolizumab), manufactured and marketed by Merck & Co, is the most successful medicine, recording worldwide sales of $29.5 billion in 2024. It is used to treat multiple forms of cancer. Under the terms of the agreement, both companies will be jointly responsible for developing and manufacturing the biosimilar candidate and ...Read More >
Haridwar: A woman politician has been arrested for allegedly letting her boyfriend and others repeatedly rape her 13-year-old daughter in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. The horrifying crime, which occurred between January and March, was exposed when the minor bravely confided in her father, prompting a police investigation that led to the arrest of the accused. The accused was arrested with her boyfriend and one more. According to police reports, the minor was gang-raped multiple times, often in the presence of her mother. The minor, who had been living with her father following her parents' separat ...Read More >
India will observe National Doctor's Day on July 1. The day acknowledges doctors' dedication. The 2025 theme is 'Behind the Mask: Who Heals the Healers?'. It highlights the mental health of doctors. The day commemorates Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy. He was a physician and former Chief Minister of West Bengal. Events will include ceremonies and campaigns. India marks National Doctor's Day on July 1 every year to recognise the tireless service, dedication, and compassion of the country's medical profess ...Read More >
Vijayawada: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday unveiled his ambitious vision to transform Amaravati into a global capital for quantum technologies. Addressing the Amaravati Quantum Valley Workshop here, Naidu said: "Quantum computing is the need of the hour. By January 1, 2026, the quantum computing centre will be operational in Amaravati. This marks the beginning of the Quantum Valley." The workshop, jointly organised by the AP government, the Department of Science and Technology (Government of India), TCS and L&T, brought together some of the top minds and institutions in quantum ...Read More >
Hyderabad, July 1 (SocialNews.XYZ) The death toll in the explosion in a pharmaceutical unit at Pashamylaram near Hyderabad mounted to 36 on Tuesday. With some of the injured succumbing at hospitals and rescue workers recovering more bodies from debris, the death toll rose sharply since Monday. The toll in the worst industrial disaster in Telangana may go up further as the rescue workers continued searches for the bodies in the debris of a three-storey building which collapsed under the impact of the blast. A massive explosion had rocked Sigachi Industries Limited's pharmaceutical factory at ...Read More >
Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy instructed officials to provide compensation of ₹1 crore to families of the workers who died in the blast at Sigachi Industries Pvt. Ltd. in Pashamylaram of Isnapur, Sangareddy. Directions were issued to give ₹10 lakh to those several injured. He said that the State did not witness an incident which claimed so many lives and action would be taken on those responsible. Of the 143 people who were working there at the time of the explosion, 44 were declared dead as of Tuesday (July 1, 2025) early afternoon. The Chief Minister said that directions were is ...Read More >
Hyderabad/Sangareddy, July 2: The death toll from the explosion at the Sigachi Industries' plant in Pashamylaram has risen to 38 on Wednesday even as the company announced a Rs 1 crore compensation amid allegation of usage of outdated machinery in the unit. State Health Minister C Damodar Rajanarasimha, who has been supervising rescue operations at the accident site, said that 11 people were still missing. Although most of the debris has been cleared, no human remains have been found, the minister further said. Sangareddy District Superintendent of Police Paritosh Pankaj told PTI that the tol ...Read More >
New Delhi: Alleging "blatant misuse" of agencies to defame its leaders, AAP on Thursday questioned why the first information report filed against former Delhi ministers Saurabh Bharadwaj and Satyendar Jain was being kept under wraps and "selective" press notes were being leaked to the media.Bharadwaj, who is Delhi AAP convener, alleged that only two former ministers were named in the case without any reasonable cause while all the officers of the health and public works departments, who were actually responsible for executing the hospital projects, were spared. "Is the FIR so baseless that BJP ...Read More >
Sangareddy (Telangana) [India], June 30 (ANI): At least 8 people were killed and 26 injured following the explosion at a chemical factory in Pasamailaram Phase 1 area of Telangana's Sangareddy district on Monday, as the rescue operation is in progress, a police official said. V Satyanaryana, Inspector General, Multi Zone II, said, "There was a blast at Sigachi Pharma, a chemical production factory in Pasamailaram. The incident occurred around 8:15-9:35 am, and the police were informed within 10 minutes. We reached the spot within 20 minutes. NDRF, SDF, and other rescue teams, along with 10 fi ...Read More >
MADURAI: Likening the custodial murder of Ajith Kumar in Tiruppuvanam to an 'organised crime by police where the state kills its own citizens,' Madras high court lambasted the Tamil Nadu police and said the action against the perpetrators should be more stringent than in normal murder cases.A division bench of Justice S M Subramaniam and Justice A D Maria Clete pointed to 44 external injuries on the person of Ajith Kumar and said no part of the body was spared by the delinquent cops. "Even an ordinary murderer would not have inflicted such kind of injuries," the bench said on Tuesday.The natur ...Read More >
CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the state police on Tuesday said it has arrested two accused wanted in several bomb blasts and communal murder cases after being on the run for over 25 years. The key accused among the two is Abubacker Siddique of Nagore. He is allegedly involved in the attempt to plant a pipe-bomb during the rath yatra of former home minister LK Advani in Madurai in 2011, among others. Other cases he is allegedly involved include the bomb blast at Hindu Munnani office in 1995 in Chennai, an explosion in Nagore the same year, and coordinated planting of bo ...Read More >
Hyderabad: Sigachi Industries said on Wednesday that the blast at its facility at Pashamylaram in Telangana resulted in the death of 40 people and left 33 injured. The company issued a brief statement, the first since the blast rocked the facility at Pashamyalaram industrial area in Sangareddy district near Hyderabad on Monday. "It is with anguish that we share details of the accident that occurred at the Sigachi Industries facility in Pashamylaram, Telangana, resulting in the loss of 40 valued team members and one that left over 33 injured," it said. "Our thoughts are with those affected b ...Read More >
NEW DELHI - Amid growing concerns on social media over possible connection between Covid vaccines and recent surge in sudden heart attack deaths, officials issued firm clarification, cleaning air on the matter. In a public statement, Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said extensive studies conducted by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) found no causal relationship between COVID-19 vaccines and sudden cardiac deaths among adults. Extensive research by ICMR and AIIMS has conclusively found no link between COVID vaccinat ...Read More >
New Delhi: The pan-India mythological drama 'Kannappa', starring Vishnu Manchu and featuring cameos by Akshay Kumar, Mohanlal, Prabhas, and Kajal Aggarwal, hit cinemas on June 27, 2025. Despite its star-studded cast and grand production, the film has seen a slow start at the box office. According to early estimates from Sacnilk, 'Kannappa' earned ₹9 crore net in India on its first day of release. Although this marks Vishnu Manchu's biggest opener, it falls short of expectations considering the film's massive budget of ₹200 crore and the presence of big-name stars. The film saw varying occupa ...Read More >
Kolkata, June 28: A political slugfest has erupted in West Bengal after a woman accused Padma Shree awardee monk Kartik Maharaj, who is posted with the Murshidabad unit of Bharat Sevashram Sangha, of allegedly raping her 12 times for six months in 2013. As per the police complaint lodged by the woman, Kartik Maharaj raped her multiple times 12 years ago promising her a job at a local school. The ruling Trinamool Congress is highlighting the issue in a major way and accusing the BJP of being silent on it since the accused monk had been reportedly close to the saffron party. The woman accusin ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram: Ravada A Chandrasekhar took charge as the new State Police Chief on Tuesday. He succeeds Shaik Darvesh Saheb, who retired on June 30. His tenure will run until July 1, 2027. A 1991-batch IPS officer currently serving as Special Director with the Intelligence Bureau, Chandrasekhar is on central deputation. He was selected over Nitin Agarwal, who topped the official list of probables. The appointment order, issued by Kerala Chief Secretary Dr A Jayathilak on behalf of the Governor, was released soon after a cabinet meeting held on Monday. Hailing from Andhra Pradesh's Godav ...Read More >
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], July 2 (ANI): In response to four heart attack deaths within 24 hours in Karnataka's Hassan district, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday announced the formation of an expert committee led by Dr Ravindranath of Jayadeva Institute to investigate the cause and submit a report within 10 days. The panel will be headed by Dr Ravindranath, Director of Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research. The decision follows reports of 21 heart attack-related deaths in the district over the last 40 days. 'In the past month, the government has taken very seri ...Read More >
New Delhi, July 03: The sudden demise of 42-year-old Shefali Jariwala, best known for her iconic appearance in the Kaanta Laga music video, has triggered a storm of speculation online, with several posts linking her death to the COVID-19 vaccine. Public interest in the death of 42-year-old Shefali Jariwala is fueled by growing concerns over rising heart attacks among middle-aged individuals, including several well-known celebrities. However, official findings and expert statements contradict these claims. According to her doctor, Shefali had been undergoing anti-ageing treatment for the past ...Read More >
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Thursday took strong action against the police officers allegedly responsible for the Bengaluru stampede, suspending several high-ranking officials, including the city's police commissioner. Addressing a press conference, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also announced a one-man commission to probe the lapses that triggered the deadly stampede. "Cubbon Park Police Station police inspector, station house master, station house officer, ACP, Central Division DCP, cricket stadium in-charge, additional commissioner of police, commissioner of police have been susp ...Read More >
Imphal, June 7 (UNI) Three militants were nabbed in separate incidents during the last 24 hours in Manipur, police said on Saturday. Manipur Police arrested a militant from Moidangpok Awang Leikai from Khumbong Bazar under Imphal West District, they said. Security forces arrested a militant from the Elangkhanpokpi Mayai Leikai area under Kakching district. Security forces apprehended a militant from Wangoo Samushang in Bishnupur district and elected members from Kumbi area. In an operation, one M16 rifle, one bolt-action rifle, three pull-mechanism rifles, three improvised mortars, and fiv ...Read More >
Haridwar: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Sakshi Maharaj on Sunday demanded that hotel, dhaba and eatery owners on the Kanwar Yatra routes should display their names and identities on boards outside their business establishments. The owners, who hide their identities under fake names, on the Kanwar Yatra routes should not be spared, he told reporters here. "Tampering with faith of the Hindu devotees during the Kanwar Yatra will not be tolerated," said the Unnao MP. The food shops on the Kanwar Yatra routes should have a board outside with the names of their owners clearly written on them, h ...Read More >
The United States congressional subcommittee's final report on the Covid-19 pandemic has pointed to the "lab leak" theory, making it the latest US report pinning the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to the Wuhan lab in China. "Four years after the onset of the worst pandemic in 100 years, the weight of the evidence increasingly supports the lab leak hypothesis," the 500-plus page report said, adding that since they began their work in February 2023, more senior intelligence officials, politicians, science editors, and scientists had "endorsed the hypothesis that COVID-19 emerged as the result ...Read More >
Tiruppur: A shocking case of alleged dowry harassment and suicide has emerged from Tamil Nadu's Tiruppur district, where a 27-year-old woman died by suicide on Saturday, 29 June -- just 78 days after her wedding. Rithanya, daughter of Annadurai, a real estate businessman, was married on 11 April 2025 to Kavin Kumar (28), the grandson of a senior Congress leader in Tiruppur. The wedding was a grand celebration, with the bride's family gifting 300 sovereigns of gold and a Volvo SUV worth ₹70 lakh to the groom's side, bringing the total expenditure to over ₹2.5 crore. According to Rithanya's f ...Read More >