The article addresses three separate topics.
The Tripartite Peace Agreement in Manipur
In a significant move towards stability and peace, a tripartite agreement has recently been signed between the Centre (Home Ministry), the Manipur Government, and the Zeliangrong United Front (ZUF). The ZUF is an armed Naga group that primarily operates in Manipur and has been advocating for an autonomous state for the Zeliangrong Naga tribe for over a decade.
The group identifies as followers of Rani Gaidinliu, a freedom fighter from Manipur who was imprisoned by the British for 14 years. This peace pact aligns with the Prime Minister’s vision of an ‘insurgency-free and prosperous North East’.
The Foundation of the Indian National Congress
Moving on to a historical aspect, The Indian National Congress (INC) was established on December 28, 1885, in Bombay. It was Allan Octavian (A.O.) Hume who held the position of General Secretary when the INC was founded, and the Viceroy of India at the time was Lord Dufferin.
Prominent early INC leaders include Dadabhai Naoroji, Pherozeshah Mehta, Badruddin Tyabji, W.C. Bonnerji, Surendranath Banerji, Romesh Chandra Dutt, and S. Subramania Iyer, among others. The first session of the INC, held in Bombay in 1885, was chaired by W.C. Bannerjee.
Making strides towards gender equality in leadership, the first woman president of the INC was Annie Besant in 1917 in Calcutta, followed by Sarojini Naidu, the first Indian woman president, who assumed office in Kanpur in 1925.
Vaccine for H9N2 Avian Influenza
Shifting gears to scientific advancements, The Indian Council of Agricultural Research – National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (ICAR – NIHSAD) has developed an ‘inactivated low pathogenic avian influenza (H9N2) Vaccine for chickens’. This is the first indigenous vaccine for the H9N2 virus.
H9N2 is a subtype of the influenza A virus, and is responsible for both human influenza and bird flu. The virus was first isolated in Wisconsin, US in 1966 from turkey flocks. It’s worth noting that infections of the H9N2 virus in humans are either rare or under-reported due to their mild symptoms.
