Page 6 - NIS English 16-31 Aug, 2026

NEWS BRIEFS
India Approves First Dengue Vaccine
The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation
(CDSCO) of the Government of India has granted
marketing approval for ‘Qdenga’—a dengue
tetravalent vaccine (live, attenuated)—for the
prevention of dengue. This vaccine is manufactured
by Takeda GmbH, Germany. It is the first dengue vaccine
approved in India for preventing the disease. Qdenga has
already received WHO pre-qualification and approval in 42
countries, where over 24 million doses have been distributed
to date. According to the CDSCO, the approval follows a
comprehensive scientific evaluation of the vaccine’s quality,
safety, and efficacy. The vaccine is administered in two doses
with a three-month interval (at 0 and 3 months) to individuals
aged 4 to 60 years.

Reservation for Retired Agniveers Astronomers Discover
The Central Government has decided to provide Rare Blue Straggler Star
reservation and concessions to Agniveers in
recruitment for various posts. Under this initiative,
the government has created a new category for
former Agniveers regarding recruitment for
constable posts in the Central Armed Police Forces
(CAPFs) and Assam Rifles. This category entails a
50% reservation in vacancies and a 3-year relaxation
in the prescribed maximum age limit. Candidates
from the first batch of former Agniveers will receive Scientists from the Indian Institute of
a 5-year age relaxation Astrophysics (IIA), in collaboration with
beyond the prescribed international partners, have discovered a rare blue
maximum limit. Reservation straggler star. This star is currently in the process
Agniveers will be for Agniveers in of formation. It is located in the Collinder 261
exempted from Railway Recruitment star cluster, approximately 9,500 light-years away.
the Physical n Provisions have been made for a The study revealed that it is continuously accreting
Efficiency Test 10% reservation in Pay Level-1 and material from its companion star, causing it to
(PET) and a 5% reservation in Pay Level-2 for become hotter, brighter, and more massive. This
the written Agniveers in direct recruitment for discovery was confirmed using data from NASA’s
examination. non-gazetted posts in the Railways. TESS mission and the European Southern
n A 10% reservation will be
provided for the recruitment of Observatory’s Very Large Telescope. Researchers
constables in the Railway found that the blue straggler star is continuously
Protection Force drawing material from its companion—a mass
(RPF). transfer process that began 5.46 billion years ago
and is still ongoing. It was also revealed that the
mass of the blue straggler star is 1.67 times that
of the Sun.

4 NEW INDIA SAMACHAR || Aug 16-31, 2026