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Two terrorists killed in ongoing encounter in J&K’s Pulwama

July 18 Shopian encounter: Army completes summary of evidence
An encounter site in Kashmir (File Pic)

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): Two terrorists have been killed in an ongoing encounter with security forces at Tral area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, defence officials said today.

An official said that acting on a specific lead about the presence of militants in Saimoh area of Tral, a joint team of Awantipora Police, Army’s 42 RR and CRPF launched a cordon and search operation in the wee hours.

“When the suspected house was zeroed in, the hiding militants opened fire triggering a fierce gunbattle. After the initial exchange of fire, an unidentified militant was killed,” he told NVI earlier.

Defence spokesman in Srinagar Colonel Rajesh Kalia said that two militants have been killed in the ongoing operation at Tral. “The militants were offered to surrender but they refused and instead fired at the security forces triggering an encounter,” he said.

Since January this year, 76 militants including the chief operational commander of Hizbul Mujahideen- Riyaz Naikoo, have been killed across J&K in various encounters.

State-wise details of Covid-19 cases in India

New Delhi (NVI): India has become the seventh worst-affected country in the world index due to coronavirus pandemic, as the country continues to witness huge spike in the infected cases.

As the country has entered in the fifth phase of nationwide lockdown, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat remain the worst affected states.

The total number of coronavirus cases in the country stands at 1,98,706 including 5,598 casualties, according to the Union Health Ministry.

Maharashtra tops the country with the maximum number of coronavirus cases and has reported nearly 70,000 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- 3,783

Arunachal Pradesh- 22

Assam- 1,390

Bihar- 3,926

Chandigarh- 294

Chhattisgarh- 547

Dadar Nagar Haveli- 3

Delhi- 20,834

Gujarat- 17,200

Goa- 71

Haryana– 2,356

Himachal Pradesh- 340

Jammu and Kashmir- 2,601

Jharkhand- 659

Karnataka- 3,408

Kerala- 1,326

Ladakh- 77

Madhya Pradesh- 8,283

Maharashtra- 70,013

Manipur- 83

Meghalaya- 27

Mizoram- 1

Nagaland- 43

Odisha- 2,104

Puducherry- 74

Punjab- 2,301

Rajasthan- 8,980

Sikkim- 1

Tamil Nadu- 23,495

Telangana- 2,792

Tripura- 420

Uttarakhand- 958

Uttar Pradesh- 8,075

West Bengal – 5,772

State/UT wise total death toll:

Andhra Pradesh- 64

Assam- 4

Bihar- 24

Chandigarh- 4

Chhattisgarh- 1

Delhi- 523

Gujarat- 1,063

Haryana- 21

Himachal Pradesh- 5

Jammu and Kashmir- 31

Jharkhand- 5

Karnataka- 52

Kerala- 10

Madhya Pradesh- 358

Maharashtra- 2,362

Meghalaya- 1

Odisha- 7

Puducherry- 1

Punjab- 45

Rajasthan- 198

Tamil Nadu- 184

Telangana- 88

Uttar Pradesh- 217

Uttarakhand- 6

West Bengal- 325

A total of 95,527 people have been cured or discharged from hospitals in India. There are around 97,581 active cases currently, according to the Health Ministry.

PM tweets on Telangana statehood day

modi
PM Narendra Modi (File photo)

New Delhi (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi today greeted the people of Telangana on the occasion of their statehood day.

PM Modi also extended his wishes to the people of Andhra Pradesh.

Taking to Twitter, PM wrote,“Greetings to the people of Telangana on their Statehood Day. People from this state are excelling in a wide range of sectors.”

“This state is making valuable contributions to the growth trajectory of India. I pray for the progress and prosperity of the people of Telangana,” PM added.

Greeting the people of Andhra Pradesh, Modi said, “Best wishes to the people of Andhra Pradesh. Hardwork and courage are synonymous with the culture of this land.”

“The state’s role in India’s growth is deeply valued. Wishing the citizens of the state the very best for their future endeavours”, PM tweeted.

President Ram Nath Kovind also greeted people of Telangana on this special day, “Greetings to the people of Telangana on statehood day. The entire nation is proud of the rich history of Telugu culture and literature,” the President tweeted.

“The hardworking people of this land have contributed significantly to the nation. May the state continue to prosper in the coming years,” he added.

On this day in 2014, the state of Telangana was officially formed. Telangana is the 28th state of the Union of India with Hyderabad as its capital.

Both states – Andhra Pradesh and Telangana – will share the capital for 10 years until Seemandhra can establish its own.

Coronavirus cases surpass 6.2 million worldwide

New Delhi (NVI): A total number of nearly 6.25 million coronavirus cases have been confirmed around the globe with more than 3,75,000 people having lost their lives due to the deadly contagion, according to John Hopkins University tally.

In the US more than has 1.8 million cases have been recorded, including over 1,05,000 deaths.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Brazil has multiplied by five in the month of May, according to its health ministry. In the past 24 hours alone, the country recorded 12,247 new cases, taking the total tally to more than 5,26,000 total infections.

Health authorities in Spain have reported no new deaths from the coronavirus in the last 24 hours for the first time in nearly three months.

Meanwhile, Singapore has begun to allow some children to return to school and about three quarters of businesses to resume work.

Hong Kong has discovered four new cases of coronavirus and is concerned about a ‘super spreader’ at the housing estate where all the affected people live, according to local media reports.

In addition to this, China reported five new coronavirus cases and no additional deaths on Monday, according to the country’s National Health Commission.

On a positive note, at least 2.69 million have recovered from the disease.

India’s COVID tally crosses 1.98 lakh; death toll 5,598

Representational Image

New Delhi (NVI): At least 8,171 new cases of coronavirus and 204 deaths have been reported in India in the last 24 hours.

The total number of coronavirus cases in India now stands at 1,98,706, with 5,598 deaths due to the pandemic, Union Health Ministry said.

In the worst-hit Maharashtra, the COVID-19 cases climbed to 70,013, followed by Tamil Nadu with 23,495 cases, and Delhi with 20,834 positive cases.

Maharashtra has also reported the highest number of fatalities at 2,362, followed by 1,063 in Gujarat and 358 in Madhya Pradesh.

The death toll in the national capital surged to 523 while another 8,746 patients have recovered so far, healthy ministry data shows

Other states with high virus cases are Gujarat(17,200) Rajasthan (8,980), Madhya Pradesh (8,283), and Uttar Pradesh (8,075).

So far, 95,527 people have been cured of the virus or discharged.

With this, the recovery rate in the country now stands at 48.2 per cent amongst COVID-19 patients.

Meanwhile, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal yesterday said that borders of the national capital will remain sealed for one week, and only essential service operators will be allowed.

J&K: 10 pregnant women, doctor among 155 new Covid cases, tally crosses 2000

Srinagar (NVI): Jammu and Kashmir today witnessed yet another surge in Covid-19 cases as ten pregnant women and a doctor were among 155 fresh cases, taking the tally in the UT to 2,609.

Officials said that among new 155 cases, 13 were tested positive at SKIMS, 33 at CD hospital, 12 at JVC Bemina, 6 at Army’s Command Hospital Udhampur and rest at other private labs. “Among the news cases were 10 pregnant women and a doctor posted at Government Dental College Srinagar,” they said.

Among 155 new cases, 56 belong to Kashmir division while 99 are from Jammu division.

“Total number of positive cases in Kashmir has reached to 1999 including 815 recoveries and 27 deaths while the total number of positive cases in Jammu division has reached to 602 including 131 recoveries and 4 deaths,” the officials said.

They said that the total number of active cases in J&K is 1,624 including 1,157 from Kashmir division and 467 from Jammu division. Cases tested positive in J&K include 12 from Anantnag, 6 from Kulgam, 10 from Srinagar, 2 from Ganderbal, 11 from Kupwara, 5 from Shopian, 6 from Baramulla, and 4 from Pulwama in Kashmir division while 99 from Jammu include 8 from Jammu, 53 from Ramban, 5 from Kathua, 2 each from Udhampur and Poonch, 1 from Samba, 3 from Rajouri, 4 from Kishtiwar and 21 from Doda.

As per official figures, 350 positive cases including five deaths and 124 recoveries are from Anantnag, 300 including four deaths and 32 recoveries are from Kulgam, 290 including seven deaths and 141 recoveries are from Srinagar, 279 including 75 recoveries are from Kupwara, 238 including 103 recoveries and five deaths are from Baramulla, 175 including 108 recoveries and three deaths are from Shopian, 146 including 134 recoveries and one death from Bandipora, 110 including 61 recoveries and two deaths are from Budgam, 34 including 24 recoveries are from Ganderbal and 77 including 13 recoveries are from Pulwama.

In Jammu division, 144 including 41 recoveries and two deaths are from Jammu district, 144 including 16 recoveries are from Ramban, 78 including 25 recoveries are from Kathua, 67 including  26 recoveries and one death is from Udhampur, 44 including 13 recoveries from Samba, 40 are from Poonch, 33 including 5 recoveries are from Rajouri, 14 including 3 recoveries area from Reasi, 12 including 1 recovery is from Kishtwar, 26 including 1 recovery and one death is from Doda.

As per the daily information bulletin, 1,76,805 persons in Jammu and Kashmir are under observation while 38,276 persons have been kept under home quarantine. Apart from that, 1,624 persons are in hospital isolation while 38 persons are under hospital quarantine.

According to the bulletin, 87,872 persons have completed the surveillance period and 48,964 persons are under home surveillance.

So far, results of 176,309 samples are available out of which 173,708 tested negative while 2601 have been tested positive. Among positive cases, 1624 are active and 946 persons have recovered and 31 persons have died.

Major infiltration bid foiled along LoC in J&K’s Nowshera, 3 militants killed

Alert issued in Poonch, Rajouri after militant movement detected near LoC
(File/Representational Image)

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): A major infiltration bid was foiled by the Indian Army at the Line of Control (LoC) in Nowshehra sector of Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district today, as three heavily armed terrorists were killed while a search is on for the fourth one who sustained bullet injuries in the action, defence officials said today.

Inspector General of Police (IPG) Jammu range, Mukesh Singh told NVI that three heavily armed militants have been killed in an ongoing operation at Jammu’s Nowshera sector. “Fourth militant has sustained bullet wounds. Search to track him down is on,” he said.

Defence sources said that at the site of encounter, a huge cache of arms and ammunition was recovered which includes a US-made M-16 rifle, two AK 47 rifles and an Under Barrel Grenade Launcher along with grenades.

They said that an infiltration bid took place on the intervening night of May 29 and 30 along LoC at Kabootar-Gala area of Nowshera sector.

“While the infiltrators were trying to sneak in, an explosion took place that was possibly after one of the infiltrators walked over the anti-personnel mine. Soon after, the ambush parties of Army stationed there cordoned around 400 meters area after which a gun battle broke out that lasted for several hours,” they said.

They said that for the past three days, a major combing operation was going on in the area during which bodies of three militants were found on LoC. “The bodies of slain militants who are three in number are difficult to retrieve as there is intense firing from the across,” defence sources said.

However, search teams of the Army have managed to recover the arms and ammunition along with other materials carried by the infiltrating group. “Two AK 47 rifles along with 13 magazines, one American M-16 rifle with six magazines, one 9 mm Chinese pistol with one magazine, one UBGL launcher, six UBGL grenades, five hand grenades, 30 loose rounds of 9 mm, 85 loose rounds of 5.56 mm, 14 loose rounds of 7.62 mm were recovered from the site of the gunfight,” they said.

A defence source said that the operation is on and there is a possibility that a few more militants may be hiding in the area. “Search for the injured militant is on. It is believed that he may be gone back to the other side of the LoC,” he said, adding that combing operation will continue for a few days in the sector to rule out the presence of any more militants in the area.

This comes almost 2 months after the Indian Army foiled a major infiltration attempt at LoC in north Kashmir’s Keran sector in early April, killing five terrorists while losing five of its soldiers from elite forces in an operation.

Rs 20,000 cr for MSMEs, MSP hike for Kharif crops: Key Cabinet decisions

New Delhi (NVI): In a big boost to the stressed MSME (Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises) sector, the Union Cabinet today approved the provision of Rs 20,000 crore as subordinate debt to provide equity support to medium enterprises, that will provide relief to around 2 lakh MSMEs amid the Covid-19 crisis.

Apart from this, the Cabinet has approved Rs 50,000 crore equity infusion for MSMEs through Fund of Funds (FoF). This will establish a framework to help MSMEs in capacity augmentation. This will also provide an opportunity to get listed in stock exchanges, the Government said in a statement after the meeting.

The scheme for Rs 3 lakh crore collateral-free automatic loans was earlier approved by CCEA and has been formally launched.

In another major development today, the government has further amended the definition of MSME. The turnover limit of medium enterprises has been revised upwards to Rs 250 crore, from Rs 100 crore announced earlier.

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi also announced a slew of measures to alleviate the distress in the farming sector due to the pandemic situation. The Government has approved MSP (Minimum Support Price) hike for 14 Kharif crops including paddy and cotton to provide instant relief to farmers.

The Minimum Support Price of paddy has been raised by Rs 53 per quintal taking the MSP to Rs 1,868 per quintal for 2020-21. The MSP of cotton has also been hiked now, up by Rs 260 to touch Rs 5,515 per quintal.

Apart from this, the Centre also launched a special micro-credit scheme, named ‘Pradhan Mantri Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi’. The scheme is aimed to provide an affordable loan of up to Rs 10,000 to street vendors and it is likely to benefit 50 lakh street vendors in the urban and rural areas of the country.

The decisions were taken in line with the Atmnirbhar Bharat Abhiyan package announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 12, aimed at making India ‘ self-reliant’. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced the tranches of the 20 lakh crore package. PM Modi, in his address to the nation, had said that the economic stimulus will be 10 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The major decisions were taken by the cabinet even as the country enters the fifth phase of lockdown. This is also the first meeting of the PM Modi-led cabinet after the ruling NDA government completed the first year of its second term in office.

White tigress at Delhi Zoo undergoes dental treatment

White Tigress Sita undergoes medical examination. (Credit: Wildlife SOS)

New Delhi (NVI): A five-year-old white tigress at Delhi Zoo received emergency dental treatment amid the lockdown after the zoo officials observed that she was under stress and had stopped eating.

The zoo officials immediately conducted a preliminary examination of tigress ‘Sita’, which revealed swelling in the lower gum close to the lower left canine, Wildlife SOS said in a statement.

The swelling was causing the tigress immense pain and discomfort, requiring immediate medical intervention, they said.

Zoo officials consulted with experts from the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) in Bareilly and the Wildlife SOS veterinary team to carry out digital radiography and biopsy for proper diagnosis.

There was another challenge of arranging a digital radiography machine amid lockdown. However, when the Delhi Zoo and the Central Zoo Authority contacted Wildlife SOS, a veterinary team of the organisation transported a Digital X-ray machine and a Dental X-Ray machine all the way from Agra to New Delhi.

The entire medical procedure was carried out by the NZP Veterinary team and the Wildlife SOS Veterinary team working together. (Pic: Wildlife SOS)

As the lockdown prevented normal vehicular movement, the NZP Director sent a vehicle with an officer from the zoo to Agra to bring the Wildlife SOS veterinary team and the equipment. The X-Ray equipment enabled the veterinary team to examine and detect a root abscess in the lower left canine of the tiger’s jaw.

The entire medical procedure was carried out by the NZP Veterinary team and the Wildlife SOS Veterinary team working together. The abscess was drained and treated with antiseptic solution and anti-inflammatory medication. The tigress has been placed under observation and is recovering well, the Wildlife SOS said in a release.

Just like humans, animals also suffer from dental issues like Gum disease, gingivitis, broken teeth and tooth decay. In some cases, animals need root canal treatment. Wildlife SOS veterinarians have been carrying out specialized dental procedures to help tigers, bears, leopards, elephants etc.

Dr. Suneesh Buxy, IFS – DIG & Director NZP Delhi Zoo, said, “The NZP vet team and Wildlife SOS have done a good job with providing treatment. This has brought significant improvement in the overall health of the tigress. The lockdown is a difficult time, but we are doing our best to provide necessary care and treatment to our animals.”

Kartick Satyanarayan, CEO of Wildlife SOS, said, “We are happy to assist the Delhi zoo with veterinary support. Dental problems can be extremely painful for animals and may lead to further infection, if not treated immediately. We were happy to be of service to the tiger and the Delhi Zoo.”

Dr Ilayaraja, Deputy Director – Veterinary Services, Wildlife SOS, said, “Big cats like tigers, are greatly dependent on their canines and the painful abscess in the lower canine was affecting the tiger’s behaviour and feeding pattern. The treatment rendered will help ease the pain.”

COVID-19 tally rises to 49,500 in Bangladesh

Bangladesh lockdown

New Delhi (NVI): Bangladesh recorded a total of 22 death due to the novel coronavirus in the last 24 hours, raising the death tally to 610.

The country is also witnessing rise in coronavirus cases with the detection of 2,381 new cases, taking the total cases to 49,534.

So far, a total of 9,781 people have recovered from the deadly contagion, after 816 more patients made recovery.

Against the total number of detected cases, the recovery rate is 21.39 percent and the mortality rate is 1.36 percent in country.

In addition to this, a total of 4,868 members of Bangladesh police have been infected with coronavirus till date, according to media reports.

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