Ask a sixteen-year-old about a social media ban, and you get an answer sharper than most adults arguing about bans. She says, “It doesn’t prepare us for the real world when we will have to deal with these distractions in our life”. The teenager’s response strikes at the core of the ban vs
How I got hooked on chasing solar eclipses Traveling the globe for celestial events may seem downright loony—until you get a taste of the addictive world of ‘eclipse chasing’ Published on: Aug 23, 2026, 18:30:10 IST WSJ Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link ‘It was glorious
Made-in-India semiconductor chips are now powering key Indian space missions. These domestically manufactured components support lunar and solar exploration efforts. Specialized chips from Mohali's Semiconductor Laboratory are used in Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya-L1
India's space program began with a small rocket range in 1962. It progressed to launching its first satellite and developing indigenous launch vehicles. Chandrayaan-3's lunar landing marked a significant achievement for the nation. The program now includes private sector involvement and ambitious
India plans to establish its own space station by the year 2035. The first module for the Bharatiya Antariksha Station has already received approval. This ambitious project aligns with the nation's growing space capabilities and aspirations. National Space Day celebrates India's achievements and
India observed its third National Space Day, commemorating the Chandrayaan-3 lunar landing. ISRO Chairman Dr. V. Narayanan recalled the agency's humble beginnings and current global standing. He highlighted Chandrayaan-3's soft landing near the Moon's south pole in August 2023
The Indian government created the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) to offer students an intellectually vibrant research environment and to bring them into research at a relatively — vis-à-vis the Indian milieu — early stage
Prime Minister Narendra Modi aims to lure global expertise to India's expanding space landscape. He identifies the private sector's potential as a crucial asset for global competition. Key advantages include India’s affordability and its appetite for innovation
HPV vaccine: Is one dose enough for girls? Should males get this vaccine?
HPV vaccination: Is one dose enough for girls? Should males get this vaccine? Is it safe? Doctors answer
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the nationwide Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination Programme in Ajmer, Rajasthan, at 11:30 am on Saturday, February 28. The drive, which will take place across all States and Union Territories, will target girls aged 14 years.
Here's all you need to know about the government's HPV vaccination nationwide programme:
1. Gardasil or Cervavac: Which HPV vaccine is government providing?
Sharing details of the nationwide HPV Vaccination programme, the government said it will use a single shot of the Gardasil vaccine to vaccinate adolescent girls.Gardasil is a quadrivalent HPV vaccine that protects against HPV types 16 and 18 (which cause cervical cancer), as well as types 6 and 11.
The Indian government is not yet providing Cervavac since there's no "long-standing data available to substantiate the effectiveness and immunity response of its one dose, says Dr Mani Kapur.
2. Who's eligible to get HPV vaccine?
Experts say that any girl or woman aged between nine and 45 years is eligible to get vaccinated against HPV infection.Dr Rachita Munjal, Director, Fertility & IVF, Cloudnine hospital, Gurgaon, said the ideal group to receive this vaccine is 9- to 14-year-old girls. She explained that it is at this age that the vaccine provides “the best immunity and cancer prevention.”
She said, "15 to 26 years is a catch-up vaccine period and beyond 27-40 years is an individual-based decision." She said the vaccine does not prevent women who have already been exposed to the HPV virus, but taking a shot could provide some protection from other types of the virus.
Meanwhile, Dr Mani Kapur, Vice-President of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Janakpuri, also said that women who are sexually active can take the HPV vaccine shot because even if they have been exposed to a certain type of HPV virus, the vaccine could still protect them from other types.
3. Who can get HPV vaccine for free?
The government is providing free vaccination to girls of 14 years of age across all States and Union Territories.4. Do children need parents' consent?
Yes, the government has specifically stated that free vaccination will be voluntary, and informed consent from parents/guardians will be obtained prior to administration.
5. Where can I get it for free?
The vaccine will be provided free of cost at designated Government health facilities. According to a government press release, vaccination will be conducted at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (Primary Health Centres), Community Health Centres, Sub-District and District Hospitals as well as Government Medical Colleges and Hospitals.6. Why is India giving only one dose of the HPV vaccine/Is one dose of HPV vaccine enough?
Dr Mani Kapur said there are "latest guidelines", stating that only one dose of Gardasil is sufficient for girls aged 14. They don't need another dose later in life, she clarified.The doctor, however, said that in case of Cervavac – India's first indigenously developed HPV vaccine by the Serum Institute of India — it's recommended to get two doses with a gap of six months.
Dr Mani Kapur recalled her conversation with a specialist at Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute & Research Centre regarding the single-dose HPV vaccination strategy for adolescents (nine to 14 years)
She said the specialist told her that in “emerging countries like India, there's a large population of girls...So even one dose of vaccination provides a very good, strong and durable immune response because the age is such that the immunity levels are high, and even one shot is good for all these age groups of females.”
She noted that in emerging countries like India, "the affordability is low, the susceptibility is high, and immunity of these girls at this age is also high."
"So, the [government's] drive is for these females of nine to 14 years and giving them only one shot," she said.
7. How safe is HPV vaccine? What are the side effects?
Experts told Mint that there are no side effects or allergic reactions to the HPV vaccines, except for minor pain, swelling, or redness at the injection site. They refuted claims that the HPV vaccine causes infertility or early menopause."They are absolutely safe vaccines. They do not have any side effects. Only some reported side effects, such as pain, swelling at the injection site, mild fever, headache,...these are minor side effects but nothing major," Dr Munjal said.
8. Is HPV vaccine available for males in India?
Dr Mani Kapur and Dr Rachita Munjal both said that HPV vaccine are also available for males. "Males do get infected with HPV...the Gardasil vaccine works for males as well, Dr Mani Kapur said.She added that the HPV vaccine is recommended for males because the infection could be sexually transmitted to them and cause genital warts, anal cancer, penile cancer and throat and mouth cancer.
"The vaccine reduces viral transmission," she said.
9. Price of Gardasil 4 in private hospitals
In the open market, quadrivalent Gardasil-4 is a two-dose vaccine – each costing ₹3,927 – for girls below 15 years. For those above 15 years, three doses of the vaccine are required. Gardasil-4 vaccine is manufactured by MSD India.Source: LiveMint
Related Posts: HPV vaccine, HPV vaccination, HPV vaccination drive
The Northeast India Space Workshop 2026 will convene in Guwahati to explore regional transformation. This event aims to leverage space technology for global reach and economic growth. Stakeholders will discuss Northeast India becoming a developer and testbed for space solutions
1 days ago
The dramatic 1° Celsius rise in global temperatures since industrialisation has already proved to have upended the lives of wild flora and fauna: that of at least 15,801 species on the Red List of Threatened Species, according to IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature)
2 days ago
India faces a substantial cost gap with the United States for launching payloads. A recent study estimates India's cost at over $13,000 per kilogram by 2025. This contrasts with the United States' estimated cost of $3,225 per kilogram. The study highlights scale and experience as key factors for
2 days ago
Prime Minister Narendra Modi encouraged young space entrepreneurs to innovate for agriculture and daily life. He highlighted the potential of India's private space sector for global impact. Startups were urged to engage with schools and inspire future generations
2 days ago
Rock-solid evidence for the origins of birds Stones in dinosaur stomachs may help understanding of avian evolution Published on: Aug 20, 2026, 21:09:09 IST The Economist Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link How do you know what a dinosaur ate? Guts rot away after death
3 days ago
Was it meat or glucose that fueled the growth of the human brain? If evolutionary science told us, hitherto, that human brain expansion relied on meat to grow, a new study has an interesting addition to this theory. Published in a recent issue of Science
4 days ago
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch the GISAT-1A satellite in September, in a mission that will be watched closely for many important reasons. Since the two successive PSLV mission failures, in 2025 and early 2026, ISRO had paused launches as it investigated the reason
4 days ago
The Hara forests are a vital ecological treasure of the Persian Gulf. Spanning the Strait of Hormuz, these mangrove forests consist mainly of grey mangrove trees (Avicennia marina), which have a special filtration system in their roots that allows them to thrive in saline conditions
5 days ago
India spends more to put a kilogram of payload into orbit than any other major spacefaring nation, marring its public image as a cost-effective launcher, according to a new peer-reviewed analysis of more than six decades of rocket launches published in Economics Letters
7 days ago
“The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there,” the English novelist L.P. Hartley wrote famously in his 1953 novel The Go-Between. In a peculiar twist, the same cannot be said of the Moon. It is not a foreign country, or even a foreign world: the U.S
7 days ago
The computer did not create a virus. It did not touch a test tube or handle a living cell. What it did may ultimately be more consequential: it helped decide what the virus’s genome should be. Researchers at Stanford University and the Arc Institute used artificial intelligence (AI) to design
8 days ago
Spectators across Spain watched in wonder, some whipping off their protective glasses and rising to their feet in unison, as a rare total solar eclipse swept across the north of the country on Wednesday (August 12, 2026) evening, plunging it into darkness
8 days ago
Japan's MMX mission will blast off soon to collect Martian moon samples. The spacecraft will orbit Mars for three years and land on Phobos. This mission aims to understand Solar System origins and life's emergence. A rival Chinese mission also plans to return Mars samples around 2031
8 days ago
Draft rules for the SHANTI Act, 2025, mandate financial security for nuclear damage. Operators must maintain insurance or financial security until spent fuel removal. Foreign reactor designs require certification by their country of origin's regulatory body
9 days ago
As a total solar eclipse will be visible in parts of Europe on August 12 for the first time since 1999, solar physicists at the Raman Research Institute (RRI) in Bengaluru, along with collaborators, have predicted the magnetic structure of the Sun’s outer atmosphere, or its ‘crown’
9 days ago
When a young man was brought to my clinic after his first episode of psychosis, his parents wanted to know when he could return to college. This is not an atypical first interaction. However, in many instances, after a few consultations later and especially once the immediate crisis had settled
11 days ago
Some people can live apparently ordinary lives even when both copies of a gene (one inherited from the mother and the other from the father) have stopped working. Until their DNA is sequenced, they may never know that this has happened. A large study from Pakistan, published in Nature (June 2026)
11 days ago
Physicist Deepak Dhar received the 2026 Dirac Medal for his statistical mechanics work. He shares the award with three other scientists for their complex systems research. Their contributions span biology, finance, computer science, and artificial intelligence
12 days ago
Colombia and Venezuela experienced deadly earthquakes due to tectonic plate friction. The Nazca plate sliding beneath the South American plate caused tremors. Earthquake magnitude and depth significantly influenced the destructive impact. Building codes and terrain also played crucial roles in the
12 days ago
India has been invited to join NASA's Moon Base program. Discussions focused on expanding civil and commercial space cooperation. Both nations agreed to advance open scientific data sharing under Artemis Accords. They also reaffirmed commitment to UN guidelines for outer space sustainability
12 days ago
A team led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine has found that several inherited traits in the mouse genome break the rules Gregor Mendel laid down in the 19th century about how genes work. This is not because the genes mutate but because of chemical modifications of the genome
13 days ago
Urban India’s water emergency will not be fixed by better crisis management alone. Over the coming decades, hundreds of millions more people will live and work in Indian cities, driving a sharp increase in the urban water demand. And unless we change how we design, finance
15 days ago
IN-SPACe seeks private partners to manage ISRO's new launch complex. This facility will support small rocket launches and enhance launch efficiency. Private entities will handle end-to-end operations and maintenance of the complex. ISRO will provide initial technical and operational support for
15 days ago
NASA astronauts Anil Menon and Jessica Meir on Friday (August 6, 2026) concluded their spacewalk outside the International Space Station to assemble the modification kit for its power channel that would allow addition of solar arrays. The spacewalk – 281st in support of the space station –
15 days ago
The gut microbiomes of eight tribal populations across India have a unique diversity shaped by their traditional diets, and are distinct from those observed in industrialised settings, researchers have reported in Gut Microbes. The effects of probiotics depend on a population’s diet and gut
15 days ago
Five minutes past noon on July 18, the launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota roared back to life after a gap of 187 days. The last launch from the space port was on January 12, 2026, involving the PSLV-C62 mission carrying the EOS-N1 earth observation satellite
15 days ago
A lettuce that makes meat protein: The science behind engineering plants to grow an animal molecule & why it matters The study established proof of concept, but lettuce with meat protein is still some distance from ending up in your burger. Updated on: Aug 7, 2026
16 days ago
