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UNICEF releases guidance to prioritise child rights in global supply chains

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New Delhi (NVI): As the COVID-19 pandemic threatens livelihoods across the world, UNICEF and Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM) have released guidance to help clothing and footwear companies better address children’s rights in their global supply chains.

The guidance tool, which has been released ahead of World Day Against Child Labour (June 12), is the result of a partnership between UNICEF and NBIM, which manages the assets of the Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global.

It involved leading apparel and footwear companies including Adidas, H&M and VF Corporation, the UNICEF said in a statement today.

“As the socio-economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic threaten the livelihoods of millions of workers in global supply chains, children’s rights must be at the heart of business action,” said UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Charlotte Petri Gornitzka. “We have an opportunity to re-imagine the post-COVID world and build a better garment and footwear sector that supports the right of every child,” she added.

According to UNICEF, the guidance tool provides practical steps for companies to embed children’s rights in their sustainability strategies and approaches. It calls on companies to gather evidence on how children are impacted; identify bottlenecks, and take proactive steps to integrate children’s rights into their supply chain management systems. It also includes specific metrics, which support the measurement of and reporting on children’s rights outcomes over time.

The guidance calls on companies to:

* Assess child rights risks and business preparedness to address them
* Integrate child rights into policies and management systems
* Get internal buy-in and engage key decision-makers
* Strengthen supplier capacity to address child rights and root causes
* Monitor and measure outcomes and progress
* Engage stakeholders, workers and implement grievance processes
* Report on outcomes and progress
* Collaborate and invest in multi-stakeholder initiatives
* Support governments and advocate for children’s rights

At the launch of the guidance, NBIM Chief Corporate Governance Officer Carine Smith Ihenacho said, “At Norges Bank Investment Management, we see respect for children’s rights as an inherent part of good business practice and risk management.”

“Children must be at the heart of companies’ sustainability efforts as they are among the most vulnerable members of society and the basis for future prosperity. It is our hope that the guidance tool and our partnership with UNICEF will contribute to improved market practices and greater respect for children’s rights across the sector,” she said.

2 dead in Assam oil well fire

The fire that broke out in Assam oil well (Source: Twitter)

New Delhi (NVI): Two firefighters have been killed in the massive fire that broke out at the gas well of Oil India Limited (OIL) in eastern Assam’s Tinsukia district yesterday.

According to media reports, the oil well had been leaking gas since May 27 and it caught fire yesterday.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel recovered the bodies of the deceased after drones used by the Assam Forest department located them near a wetland this morning.

The cause of death was said to be drowning after the two, both employees of OIL, had jumped into a pond to avoid the flames.

Over 50 houses have been gutted in the massive fire. As many as 1,600 families have been evacuated, as per the reports.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Assam Chief Minister Sarbanand Sonowal today to discuss the situation and assured all possible support from the Centre.

“PM @narendramodi spoke to Assam CM Shri @sarbanandsonwal to discuss the situation in the wake of the Baghjan fire tragedy. PM assured all possible support from the Centre. The situation is being monitored closely,” the PMO said in a tweet.

PM Modi reviews Kedarnath Reconstruction Project

New Delhi (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi today conducted a review of the Kedarnath Dham development and reconstruction project with the Uttarakhand state government via video conferencing.

Laying out his vision for the reconstruction of the shrine, Prime Minister said that the State Government should envision and design development projects for holy sites like Kedarnath and Badrinath in a way and manner that stands the test of time and yet is eco-friendly and in harmony with nature and its surroundings, a statement by Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.

Keeping in mind the present situation and comparatively lean pressure in terms of tourists and pilgrims to the holy sites, Modi suggested that the present construction season could be utilized for completing pending works by proper distribution of labour pools, keeping in mind the norms of social distancing.

This will help to create facilities and infrastructure to better sustain tourism flows in the years to come.

In addition to this, Narendra Modi also gave directions for further development of other heritage and religious spots in the stretch extending from Ramban to Kedarnath. This work will be in addition to the re-development of the main shrine in Kedarnath.

Topics related to status of development of Brahma Kamal vatika (garden) and museum to greet pilgrims en-route to Vasuki Taal were also discussed during the meeting, the Prime Minister’s Office said.

Furthermore, re-development was also sorted for old town quarters and properties of historical significance keeping intact their original architectural façade as well as other facilities like eco-friendly parking spaces at a proper distance from the shrine and at regular intervals.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and other senior officials also participated in the discussions.

Delhi hospitals row: Kejriwal says LG Baijal’s orders will be followed

New Delhi (NVI): Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today said that Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal’s order that overruled his government’s decision to reserve hospitals exclusively for Delhi residents for Covid-19 treatment will be followed.

“This is not the time for politics. This is not the time for disagreements,” Kejriwal said in his video address today while asserting that it is a time to put up a joint front against corona. The Delhi CM had gone into self-isolation suspecting a Covid-19 infection after bouts of fever and painful throat on Sunday.

LG Baijal, who represents the Centre, had on Monday cancelled the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s decision to reserve hospitals except those run by the centre for residents of Delhi.

“We will try our best to make arrangements to provide treatment to all. We all have to fight Covid-19 together,” said Kejriwal in his address today.

The Chief Minister had undergone a Covid test yesterday, the results for which came negative. He was also not able to attend a special all-party meeting called by the LG to discuss the pandemic situation in the national capital.

Meanwhile, coronavirus cases in the national capital have crossed the 31,000 mark with 1,366 fresh cases, while the death toll mounted to 905.

Health Min warns of action against hospitals denying Covid treatment under CGHS

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New Delhi (NVI):  The Union Health Ministry today warned that hospitals denying Covid-19 treatment under the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) will face action.

The Health Ministry’s warning came after it representations form CGHS beneficiaries of difficulties in availing treatment facilities at private hospitals/Diagnostic Centres empanelled under CGHS.

In this regard, the Ministry has issued an order to all Health Care Organisations (HCOs) empanelled under the scheme for strict adherence to stipulated guidelines.

As per the Ministry order, all CGHS empanelled hospitals, which are notified as Covid-hospitals by state governments shall provide treatment facilities to CGHS beneficiaries as per the norms, for all Covid related treatments.

“Similarly, it has also been directed that all the CGHS empanelled hospitals, which are not notified as covid hospitals, shall not deny treatment facilities or admission to CGHS beneficiaries and shall charge as per CGHS norms, for all other treatments,” the order read.

The ministry also said that action will be taken in case of violation of the guidelines.

The Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) facilities are available in 71 cities in India with beneficiaries under nine different categories.

5 terrorists killed in encounter in J&K’s Shopian

encounter
File photo

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): Five terrorists were killed in an encounter that raged early this morning at Sugoo-Hendhama village of South Kashmir’s Shopian district, police officials said.

Officials said that the identities of the five slain terrorists is being ascertained and the operation has ended. “Two more terrorists eliminated (Total Five terrorists). The operation was executed with precision ensuring humane approach & no collateral damage. 2 AKs, 1 SLR, 1 Pistol recovered till now. Search in progress,” said Defence spokesman Rajesh Kalia.

Earlier, in the initial firefight, three terrorists were killed, police had said. Today’s encounter is third since June 6 in the Shopian district. On June 6, five Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists including a top commander were killed and on June 7, four more terrorists of the outfit were killed. Since June 6, more than 12 terrorists have been killed in Shopian alone in three separate encounters.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir, Vijay Kumar had said that three terrorists have been killed in Shopian encounter. “It was a clean operation. Searches are on,” he said.

Joint teams of security forces including Police, Army’s 44 RR and CRPF launched a cordon and search operation on specific information about the presence of terrorists in the area in the wee hours.

A security official said that when the security forces zeroed in on the suspected house, the terrorists who were hiding in the house opened fire triggering a fierce gunbattle.

Colonel Rajesh Kalia told NVI said that a joint operation was launched on the basis of J&K police intelligence input. “Cordon was laid and contact established at 5:30 am.”

Security forces have intensified anti-militancy operations this year across Kashmir with a special focus on south Kashmir, the hotbed of new-age militancy. So far, over 40 anti-militancy operations have been conducted in which 87 militants including top commanders of Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed have been killed.

Sources said that there is a possibility of the presence of one more terrorist for which massive combing operation is on in the area.

Pertinently, 9 terrorists including top Hizb commanders were killed in two separate encounters at Reban and Pinjura Villages of district on June 6 and 7.

State-wise details of Covid-19 cases in India

New Delhi (NVI): India has become the fifth worst-affected country in the world index due to coronavirus pandemic, after it surpassed Spain in the total number of confirmed cases, as the country continues to witness huge spike in the infected cases.

The total number of coronavirus cases in the country stands at 2,76,583 including 7,745 casualties, according to the Union Health Ministry.

In the last 24 hours, a record 9,985 new cases of coronavirus and 279 deaths have been reported in India, both being at a record high in a single day till now.

Maharashtra tops the country with the maximum number of coronavirus cases and has reported nearly 90,000 confirmed cases so far.

The first confirmed coronavirus case in India was reported in the state of Kerala on January 30. Since then, the virus has tightened its grip across the country.

Total positive cases in States/UTs:

Andaman and Nicobar Islands- 33

Andhra Pradesh- 5,070

Arunachal Pradesh- 57

Assam- 2,937

Bihar- 5,459

Chandigarh- 323

Chhattisgarh- 1,240

Dadar Nagar Haveli- 22

Delhi- 31,309

Gujarat- 21,014

Goa- 359

Haryana– 5,209

Himachal Pradesh- 445

Jammu and Kashmir- 4,346

Jharkhand- 1,411

Karnataka- 5,921

Kerala- 2,096

Ladakh- 108

Madhya Pradesh- 9,849

Maharashtra- 90,787

Manipur- 304

Meghalaya- 43

Mizoram- 88

Nagaland- 127

Odisha- 3,140

Puducherry- 127

Punjab- 2,719

Rajasthan- 11,245

Sikkim- 13

Tamil Nadu- 34,914

Telangana- 3,920

Tripura- 864

Uttarakhand- 1,537

Uttar Pradesh- 11,335

West Bengal – 8,985

State/UT wise total death toll:

Andhra Pradesh- 77

Assam- 4

Bihar- 32

Chandigarh- 5

Chhattisgarh- 6

Delhi- 905

Gujarat- 1,313

Haryana- 45

Himachal Pradesh- 5

Jammu and Kashmir- 48

Jharkhand- 8

Karnataka- 66

Kerala- 16

Ladakh- 1

Madhya Pradesh- 420

Maharashtra- 3,289

Meghalaya- 1

Odisha- 9

Puducherry- 1

Punjab- 55

Rajasthan- 246

Tamil Nadu- 307

Telangana- 148

Tripura- 1

Uttar Pradesh- 301

Uttarakhand- 13

West Bengal- 415

A total of 1,35,206 people have been cured or discharged from hospitals in India. There are around 1,33,632 active cases currently, according to the Health Ministry.

Body of missing soldier fished out from dam in J&K’s Baramulla

Indianapolis
Representational Image

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): After five days of continuous search, the body of a missing soldier was today fished out from a dam in Uri area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, police said.

A soldier of Army’s fifth battalion of Jat regiment went missing on June 5, after leaving his service rifle and a mobile phone on the banks of river Jhelum near his unit in Uri.

Police and the Army after seeking help from the CCTV footage found that the soldier had gone across the river after leaving his service rifle and mobile phone on the banks of the river. He, however, didn’t return after which a massive search operation was launched to trace him.

Police said that the body of the missing soldier was fished out from a dam in Uri area of Baramulla district. The soldier has been identified as Afsar Singh, son of Surendra Singh, a resident of Bikna village in Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh deployed with Army battalion 5 Jat. He had joined the service in 2016.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Baramulla, Abdul Qayoom said the body of the soldier is with the police for legal and medical formalities.

Coronavirus cases surge past 7.2 million globally

Coronavirus cases

New Delhi (NVI): More than 7.2 million people have now been confirmed to have the coronavirus and nearly 4,09,000 have died due to the deadly contagion, according to John Hopkins University tally.

Notably, the US, the UK and Brazil have recorded the highest death tolls while the US, Brazil and Russia have the most number of confirmed cases.

In addition to this, almost half of US states are seeing higher rates of new Covid-19 cases as Americans go out to socialize or protest.The total number of cases in the US have exceeded 1.97 million while the death toll s more than 1,11,000 in the country.

In Brazil, the total number of cases have surpassed 7,39,000 while the novel coronavirus has claimed lives of nearly 41,000 people.

Argentina confirmed more than 1,000 new cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours, as the rate of new infections continued to rise just days after it extended lockdown measures in the capital Buenos Aires, the country’s largest city and epicentre for the virus.

Meanwhile, more than 3.37 million people have fully recovered or have been cured from the deadly contagion.

India’s COVID-19 tally past 2.7 lakh; death toll 7,745

New Delhi (NVI): The total number of coronavirus cases in India has risen to 2,76,583 and fatalities from the virus have gone up to 7,745, according to Union Health Ministry.

At least 1,35,206 patients have been cured of the virus or discharged.

In the past 24 hours, 9,985 fresh COVID-19 infections were reported in the country.

In terms of total number of cases, Maharashtra continues to be the worst affected state with 90,787 coronavirus cases followed by Tamil Nadu with 34,914 and Delhi with 31,309 positive cases.

The other worst affected states are Gujarat (21,014) Rajasthan (11,245) Uttar Pradesh (11,335) and Madhya Pradesh (9,849).

In terms of deaths, Maharashtra tops the tally with 3,289 fatalities, ministry said.

The death toll in the national capital surged to 905 while another 11,861 patients have recovered so far, healthy ministry data shows.

Meanwhile, Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia said the national capital’s COVID-19 cases may climb to more than 5 lakh by the end of July and it does not have the hospital capacity to handle such an outbreak.

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