PM Modi takes homegrown COVID jab as India expands vaccination drive

India started vaccinating its elderly citizens, over the age of 60 years and people aged 45 and above with co-morbidities on Monday across the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi became the first to take indigenous vaccine developer Bharat Biotech's Covaxin shot and appealed to those who are eligible to follow suit. The Indian Space Research Organisation launched the country's Polar rocket PSLV C-51 carrying Amazonia-1 of Brazil and 18 other satellites from the Sriharikota spaceport on Sunday, in its first mission of the year. This is also the first commercial mission of New Space India Limited, a company of the Indian government under the Department of Space. Amid a raging controversy among the government and opposition parties about allowing an open vote to avoid corruption, Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Monday ruled that the Senate elections on Wednesday would be held through a secret ballot. Residents of mountainous regions of Gilgit Baltistan have lamented government apathy to maintain roads, provide healthcare facilities and undertake measures to mitigate risks during natural disasters in the illegally-occupied region. They blamed Islamabad has long ignored their repeated pleas to develop the crumbling infrastructure.