2020, a year of challenges for TRS
Hyderabad, known as the bulk drug capital of India, was also in the news for manufacturing of lifesaving Covid-19 drugs like Remdesivir, Hydroxychloroquine and Favipiravir by some of the top pharma companies based here
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao
Hyderabad: The coronavirus pandemic, its impact on Telangana's finances, challenges faced by the TRS government on various fronts, floods in Hyderabad and BJP's emergence as the main opposition party marked 2020 in Telangana. Like in other states of the country and other parts of the world, Covid dominated everything else during the year. Its impact on the State's revenues also created a host of problems for the State.
One of the first States to report Covid-19 cases, Telangana did well to keep the situation under control. The state initially came under flak from public health experts and also faced ire of the state high court on several occasions for fewer testing. However, the authorities later ramped up testing and also took effective steps.
Health Minister Eatala Rajender claimed that Telangana was the first State in the country to announce lockdown and it was also the first State to alert the Centre over the spread of virus by the Tabilighi Jamaat conclave in Delhi.
After the public uproar over exploitation of pandemic situation by the corporate hospitals, the government stepped in to fix the tariff both for the Covid diagnosis and treatment. The State government also claimed to have set an example for others by making all arrangements to send back migrant labourers to their respective States by special trains. The State government footed the bill for the same.
Hyderabad, known as the bulk drug capital of India, was also in the news for manufacturing of lifesaving Covid-19 drugs like Remdesivir, Hydroxychloroquine and Favipiravir by some of the top pharma companies based here. Subsequently, the city also described as the vaccine capital of the world, hit the headlines for the development of vaccines for Covid-19. At least four companies based here are developing Covid vaccines. Bharat Biotech is working on India's first indigenous Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin.
Another city-based firm Biological E last month initiated a clinical trial of its subunit vaccine candidate in India following approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DGCI).
BE is making the vaccine in collaboration with Dynavax Technologies Corporation (Dynavax), a US-based vaccine focused biopharmaceutical company, and Baylor College of Medicine, a health sciences university in Houston. Envoys of over 60 countries also visited the facilities of the two companies early this month. The visit was organised by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and it was part of India's efforts to develop partnerships for the manufacture and delivery of vaccines.
In October, Hyderabad saw one of the worst floods in the city's history due to heavy rainfall. At least 50 people were killed in and around the city. Hundreds of colonies were inundated. (IANS)
