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J&K to get seven more tunnels: LG Manoj Sinha

ATAL J&K Yojana to cover 35,000 youth for entrepreneur skill development

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): Jammu and Kashmir will have seven more tunnels which will be completed within a stipulated time frame and the tendering process for the same is on, J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said today.

“Let me announce here that seven more tunnels will be constructed in J&K UT in the next two years. Tendering process of many has been already done and other legalities are being completed,” he said. “To name a few are— Qazigund-Baninal tunnel, Chenani to Sudhmahadev tunnel and Chatru to Anantnag tunnel,” he added.

Pertinently, construction work on Zojila Tunnel in Kashmir’s Ganderbal started today for which the first blast was initiated by Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari. The 14.15 km longest tunnel road in Asia will ensure all-weather connectivity between Srinagar and Leh on NH-1.

While addressing a press conference at Rajbhawan in Srinagar, J&K LG said that his mission to ensure overall development of all 20 districts of the Union Territory without any discrimination.

He announced sops for farmers by stating that 500 tractors will be given to the farmers on subsidised rates. Sinha also highlighted the achievements of J&K administration led by him, especially the ‘Back to Village’ program.

“I stand committed that I will ensure development to all 20 districts of the UT without any discrimination,” the LG said. While speaking on Zojila tunnel, the LG said the tunnel will be constructed at a cost of Rs 7,000 crore, which is Rs 4,000 crore less than the amount fixed for it earlier.

About the recent developmental initiatives and public grievance redressal system in villages through ‘Back to Village program-3, the LG said that the administration doesn’t believe in lip service but doing work on the ground.

“Five lakh people participated at 285 locations in the BV-3 programs. Every panchayat has been given a sports kit. Dustbins have also been provided to each panchayat,” he said. Sinha said that 4.25 lakh domicile certificates have been distributed among people.

“92 percent Adhaar seeding has been done so far and 100 per cent will be completed soon,” he said. The LG added that after Back to Village, the government will start “My town, My pride movement.”

In addition to this, he said 500 toilets will be constructed across the UT. The Centre has also released Rs 600 crore for the Srinagar ring road project, Sinha informed.

-ARK

PM holds COVID review meet; calls for increased testing, sero surveys

oxygen
Prime Minister Narendra Modi

New Delhi (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi today directed health authorities to scale up Covid-19 testing and sero-surveys and said the facility to get tested regularly and speedily at a low cost must be available to all at the earliest.

Chairing a review meeting of the research and vaccine deployment ecosystem against the Covid-19 pandemic, the Prime Minister also underscored the need for continuous and rigorous scientific testing and validation of traditional medicine treatments.

He said both sero-surveys and testing must be scaled up, and added that testing – regular, speedy and inexpensive – must be available to all at the earliest.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, NITI Aayog Member for Health Dr V K Paul and other senior scientists and officials attended the meeting.

Modi appreciated the efforts made by Indian vaccine developers and manufacturers. He said the Centre would provide support towards development of the vaccines.

“Regulatory reform is a dynamic process, and experts in every current and emerging domain should be used by the regulator proactively, as many new approaches have emerged,” said Modi.

For future delivery of the vaccines, Modi reviewed various mechanisms for adequate procurement, and technologies for bulk-stockpiling, filling vials for distribution and ensuring effective delivery.

He further said that the country was resolved to provide “cost-effective, easily available and scalable solutions for testing, vaccine and medication, not only for India but for the entire world.”

Modi, however, said vigilance should be kept up against the pandemic.

He stressed on the need for continuous and rigorous scientific testing and validation of traditional medicine treatments. Modi appreciated the efforts of Ministry of AYUSH for conducting evidence based research and providing reliable solution in this difficult time.

-CHK

MEA denies Pak NSA’s claims of India seeking talks with Islamabad

New Delhi (NVI): The Ministry of External Affairs today denied the claims by Pakistan PM’s National Security Advisor that India had reached out to Islamabad to resume dialogue between the two countries in the wake of strained relations.

In an interview to an Indian media outlet, Moeed Yusuf, NSA to Pakistan PM Imran, had claimed that New Delhi had sent a message to Pakistan with “a desire for conversation” but refused to give details.

Yusuf made the remarks in an interview with journalist Karan Thapar for The Wire news portal. This was the first interview by a Pakistani official to Indian media since the revocation of Article 370 in J&K and its bifurcation into two union territories on August 5 last year.

In the weekly media briefing today, MEA spokesman Anurag Srivastava said “no such message was sent from our side”.

“He (Moeed) has commented on India’s internal matters. As always, this is Pakistan’s effort to divert attention from domestic failures of the present government and mislead its domestic constituents by pulling India into headlines on a daily basis,” Srivastava said.

“The Official is well advised to restrict his advise to his establishment and not to comment on India’s domestic policy. The statements made by him are contrary to facts on the ground, misleading and fictitious,” he added.

The MEA spokesman said that Pakistan continues to support, aid and abet cross-border terrorism against India and has also been resorting to unprovoked ceasefire violations to support terrorist infiltration.

“The Pakistani leadership continues to indulge in inappropriate, provocative and hate speech against India. Such support to terrorism against India and use of derogatory and abusive language are not conducive to normal neighbourly relations,” Srivastava said.

-ARK

Ozone hole over Antarctica has grown to its largest size in 15 years

Representational image

New Delhi (NVI): The hole in the Ozone layer over the Antarctica continent has become larger and deeper in last past 15 years, according to World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

The World Meteorological Organization in its latest finding said that the Ozone hole over Antarctica has peaked at 24 million square kilometers (approximately 9.3 million square miles) and is now at 23 million square kilometers (approximately 8.9 million square miles), the World Economic Forum reported.

It also said that the growth in the size of the hole increased in the month of August every year and continued till the month of October.

Vincent-Henri Peuch, director of the EU’s Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) was quoted and saying that, “With the sunlight returning to the South Pole in the last weeks, we saw continued ozone depletion over the area. After the unusually small and short-lived ozone hole in 2019, which was driven by special meteorological conditions.”

“We are registering a rather large one again this year, which confirms that we need to continue enforcing the Montreal Protocol banning emissions of ozone depleting chemicals,” Peuch added.

The CAMS explained that the Ozone layer is important because it protects the earth from dangerous ultraviolet radiation. In the late 20th century, the layer was damaged by the human release of ozone-depleting halocarbons, which the Montreal Protocol of 1987 sought to control.

However, the size of the Ozone hole every year is impacted by specific weather conditions. This year, a strong polar vortex has chilled the air above Antarctica, and consistently cold air creates the ideal conditions for ozone depletion.

WMO spokesperson Clare Nullis at a UN briefing said, “The air has been below minus 78 degrees Celsius, and this is the temperature which you need to form stratospheric clouds and this quite (a) complex process.”

“The ice in these clouds triggers a reaction which then can destroy the ozone zone. So, it’s because of that that we are seeing the big Ozone hole this year,” Nullis added.

Meanwhile, the Montreal Protocol has been hailed as an example of effective international collaboration on a major environmental problem. Last year’s hole over Antarctica was the smallest it has been since the hole was discovered, but this was due to unusual weather, not emissions reductions, according to the reports.

“There is much variability in how far ozone hole events develop each year,” Peuch said a statement.

Furthermore, the WMO and the UN Environment Programme determined in 2018 that the ozone layer was on the road to recovery and could return to pre-1980 levels over Antarctica by 2060.

-RJV

J&K: CRPF trooper shoots himself dead in Srinagar

Service rifle
Representational image

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personal committed suicide by shooting himself with his service rifle at Mehjoor Nagar area of Srinagar this afternoon, officials said.

Officials said that the CRPF man posted with 25 BN Mehjoor Nagar, Srinagar, committed suicide by shooting himself with his service rifle.

“His colleagues found him in a pool of blood and shifted him to a hospital where he was declared brought dead,” the officials added.

The deceased CRPF man was identified as PG Naid.

CRPF spokesman in Srinagar, Pankaj Singh, said that Naid joined the services in 2017 and was unmarried. “An in-house inquiry has been ordered to find out the reason as to what forced him to take the extreme step,” he said.

Prima-facie, it seems that Naid had some family issues and was suffering from depression. “However, exact reason for his suicide can be known once the inquiry is completed,” Singh said.

This year, the suicidal tendencies among the security forces personnel showed a little spurt in the wake of denial of leaves to go home, self-isolation in units and maintaining social distance, which according to the security officials are some primary reasons forcing the security men to take extreme steps in their respective units.

“This is happening despite the fact that all the security units give daily counselling lessons to its men deployed across the Valley,” the official said, adding that “steps are already in place to prevent suicides among security men in Kashmir.”

-CHK

WATCH | Construction of 14 km Zojila Tunnel in J&K begins with first blast

The construction work of Zojila Tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ganderbal district began today. The 14.15 km longest tunnel road in Asia will ensure all-weather connectivity between Srinagar valley and Leh on NH-1. The work on the strategic tunnel began after Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari initiated the first ceremonial blasting.

-ARK

Oxford scientists develop 5-minute COVID-19 antigen test

Representational image

New Delhi (NVI): University of Oxford’s scientists have developed a rapid antigen COVID-19 test able to identify the coronavirus in less than five minutes and could be used in mass testing at airports and businesses.

The university said it hoped to start product development of the testing device in early 2021 and have an approved device available six months afterwards.

Researchers aim to develop an integrated device to eventually be used for Covid-19 testing in sites such as businesses, airports etc, the University of Oxford said in a statement.

The method, published on the preprint server MedRxiv, is able to differentiate with high accuracy SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, from negative clinical samples, as well as from other common respiratory pathogens such as influenza and seasonal human coronaviruses, the statement added.

The scientists have worked with clinical collaborators at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford to validate the assay on COVID-19 patient samples which were confirmed by conventional RT-PCR methods.

Rapid antigen tests are seen as key in rolling out mass-testing and re-opening economies while the coronavirus is still circulating, and those that are already in use are faster and cheaper but less accurate than existing molecular PCR tests.

“A significant concern for the upcoming winter months is the unpredictable effects of co-circulation of SARS-CoV-2 with other seasonal respiratory viruses,” said Dr Nicole Robb, of Warwick Medical School.

“We have shown that our assay (test) can reliably distinguish between different viruses in clinical samples, a development that offers a crucial advantage in the next phase of the pandemic,” Robb added.

-CHK

India’s coronavirus doubling time improves: Govt

Coronavirus India

New Delhi (NVI): The doubling time of coronavirus has sharply improved from 25.5 days in mid-August to nearly 73 days now, the Union Health Ministry said.

This is a result of reporting a progressively high increase in the COVID-19 recoveries and a persistent decline in the percentage active cases.

“India has come a long way from registering a doubling rate of 25.5 days in mid August to now registering a doubling rate of nearly 73 days (72.8 days),” the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said in a statement.

The ministry added, this is the result of states and UTs collaborative action taken against COVID-19 under the Centre’s strategy of comprehensive and high country wide testing and effective adherence of the ‘Standard Treatment Protocol’.

This is also the combined outcome of the selfless service and dedication of doctors, paramedics, frontline workers and all other COVID-19 warriors.

In the last 24 hours, 81,514 new recoveries were registered in India. With this, the total number of recoveries are nearly 64 lakh in the country, the ministry said, adding that, “Higher number of single-day recoveries is also reflected in the continuous increase in the national recovery rate, which has crossed 87 per cent.”

Around ten states and UTs account for 79 per cent of the new recovered coronavirus cases. Maharashtra has contributed over 19,000 to the single-day recoveries followed by Karnataka with more than 8,000 recoveries, the ministry added.

So far, the country has reported over 73.07 lakh coronavirus cases, while the death toll in India stands at 1,11,266.

-RJV

J&K: Farooq, Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba attend all party meet on Gupkar declaration

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): The All-Party Meeting (APM) to chalk out the future course of action on Gupkar Declaration began at Farooq Abdullah’s Srinagar residence today in which all the signatories of the resolution– that calls for the restoration of Article 370– including the former J&K CM and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti were present.

Congress’ Jammu and Kashmir unit president Ghulam Ahmad Mir couldn’t attend the meeting for some personal reasons.

Gupkar declaration is a resolution passed by National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party, Congress, Peoples Conference and other mainstream political parties in Kashmir on the August 4, 2019 decision of Centre regarding Article 370 rollback and bifurcation of the erstwhile state of J&K into two Union Territories.

Almost all the signatories of Gupkar declaration including Mehbooba Mufti, Sajad Gani Lone, Muhammad Yousuf Tarigami, Muzaffar Shah and others reached the residence of Farooq Abdullah today.

Besides, many NC leaders including Member of Parliament Hasnain Masoodi, Ali Muhammad Sagar, Nasir Aslam Wani and others are participating in the meeting which started at 4:30 pm.

-ARK

Kisan Rail transportation of notified fruits and vegetables subsidized by 50%

(File/Representational image)

New Delhi (NVI): The government has decided to extend subsidy on Kisan Rail Freight transportation of notified fruits and vegetables by 50 percent, in a massive incentive to the farmers.

Under this, fruits like Mango, Banana, Guava, Kiwi, Litchi, Papaya, Mousambi, Orange, Kinnow, Lime, Lemon, Pineapple, Pomegranate, Jackfruit, Apple, Almond, Aonla, Passion fruit and Pear will become cheaper, the Ministry of Railways said in a statement.

On the other hand, vegetables like – French beans, Bitter Gourd, Brinjal, Capsicum, Carrot, Cauliflower, Chillies (Green), Okra, Cucumber, Peas, Garlic, Onion, Potato and Tomato to get the benefit with immediate effect.

“Under ‘Operation Greens – TOP to Total’ scheme of MoFPI, Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Food Processing Industries have decided to extend 50 per cent subsidy on transportation of notified fruits and vegetables, as a further support and incentive for the farmers using the services of Kisan Rail,” the statement said.

This subsidy has become applicable of Kisan Rail trains with effect from October 14. It shall be granted directly to Kisan Rail – for which MoFPI will provide necessary funds to Ministry of Railways.

The statement further said that, “Any other fruit or vegetable can be added in future on the basis of recommendation by Ministry of Agriculture or State Government.”

Moreover, the Kisan Rail ensures agriculture products reach from one corner to another corner of the country in a quick time by faster transportation benefitting both the farmers and the consumers.

It will also give the assurance of better price with faster and cheaper transportation, providing seamless supply chain, preventing the destruction of perishable farm produce thereby opening up the scope to increase the income of farmers.

1. The first Kisan Rail, ex Devlali (Nashik, Maharashtra) to Danapur (Patna, Bihar), was inaugurated on August 7 – as a weekly train to move the agro products through freight trains. Subsequently on popular demand the train has been extended to Muzaffarpur (Bihar), and has also been made bi-weekly. In addition, link coaches – from Sangla and Pune – have also been introduced which joins this Kisan Rail at Manmad.

2. Second Kisan Rail – from Anantapur (Andhra Pradesh) to Adarsh Nagar Delhi – was inaugurated on September 9 as a weekly train.

3. Third Kisan Rail – from Bengaluru (Karnataka) to Hazrat Nizamuddin (Delhi) – was inaugurated on September 9 , as a weekly train.

4. Fourth Kisan Rail – from Nagpur anx Warud Orange City (Maharashtra) to Adarsh Nagar Delhia and was inaugurated on October 14.

Notably, Indian Railways is continuously making efforts to move the agriculture products through freight trains. Even during the lockdown, the freight trains were moving to ensure continuous supply of essential commodities so that no part in the country should face any hardship, the statement noted.

-RJV

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