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J&K: Total Covid cases surpass 12,000 mark with 490 fresh cases

Over 3,200 cops COVID positive in J&K and 15 succumbed to virus
File photo

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): Jammu and Kashmir today recorded another spike in Covid-19 cases with 490 new infections, including 33 travelers, taking the tally in the UT to above 12,000 mark.

With the fresh spike in cases, the tally of positive cases in J&K has reached 12,156 including 9649 from Kashmir and 2507 from Jammu. Officials said that out of 490 new cases, 182 were tested positive at SKIMS, 51 at JVC and rest at other hospitals. “The fresh cases include 33 travelers,” officials said.

Among 490 new cases, 428 belong to Kashmir division while 62 are from Jammu division, officials said, adding the total number of positive cases in Kashmir has reached 9649 including 4846 recoveries and 204 deaths while the total number of positive cases in Jammu has reached 2507 including 1602 recoveries and 18 deaths.

According to official sources, the total number of active cases in Jammu and Kashmir is 5488 including 4601 from Kashmir and 887 from Jammu.

With 109 more recoveries, the tally of total recoveries in J&K has reached 6446 which is 53.02 percent of the total cases which was over 63 percent few days before.

Cases tested positive in J&K include 259 from Srinagar, 21 from Kulgam, 18 from Baramulla, 42 from Shopian, 06 from Anantnag, 03 from Kupwara, 32 from Pulwama, 34 from Budgam, 02 from Bandipora and 11 from Ganderbal in Kashmir division while as 62 from Jammu division include 14 from Jammu, 03 from Udhampur, 02 from Kuthua,33 from Rajouri, 08 from Samba and 02 from Doda.

As per the daily information bulletin, 3,23,038 persons in Jammu and Kashmir are under observation while 38,581 persons have been kept under home quarantine. Besides that, 5488 persons are in hospital isolation while 13 persons are under hospital quarantine.

According to the bulletin, 2,34,857 persons have completed the surveillance period and 43,875 persons are under home surveillance.

So far, results of 4,81,452 samples are available out of which 469,296 stand negative while 12,156 have been tested positive. Among positive cases, 5488 are active and 6446 persons have recovered while 222 have died.

-ARK

Delhi Govt eases norms, empowers 11 hospitals to issue disability certificates

New Delhi (NVI): Delhi Government has eased norms for issuing disability certificates to persons with disabilities in the national capital by designating 11 hospitals in this regard.

Specially-abled persons in Delhi can now apply for disability certificates at any of the eleven (11) designated hospitals across the capital, Delhi Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam said.

“In order to facilitate the general public for easy accessibility of hospitals, the jurisdiction of the eleven hospitals for issuance of disability certificates should be all over Delhi and not confined to one district,” he said.

Earlier, specially-abled persons seeking disability certificates were required to apply only through the designated hospitals of their respective districts in the capital. These hospitals would also continue to facilitate the services of providing disability certificates to the public along with the new ones.

The decentralization move would allow the specially-abled persons of the capital to approach any of these hospitals to avail the facility for making disability certificates. According to a government order, now 11 hospitals in the national capital can issue disability certificates.

These hospitals were disability certificates can be obtained are -Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, Hindu Rao Hospital, Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital, Gobind Ballabh Pant Hospital, Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences, Safdarjung, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Lady Hardinge Hospital, AIIMS, and Lok Nayak Hospital.

“These hospitals can issue disability certificates to the disabled residing in Delhi, without considering their district of residence,” the Directorate General of Health Services said in the order.

Earlier, the hospitals had been directed to provide a separate line and counters for the applicants.

The hospitals were also asked to report every month the number of disability certificates issued, with details such as date of application and date of issuance of a certificate, to the director, Social Welfare Department.

-ARK

Infiltration bid foiled in J&K’s Kupwara, 1 terrorist killed; Ops on

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

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): A terrorist was killed as the Indian Army foiled yet another infiltration bid along the Line of Control (LoC) in Keran sector of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district today.

A tweet by the Srinagar-based 15 Corps read: “Suspicious move of unidentified persons detected across the LoC at Keran Sector, #Kupwara this morning. Terrorists trying to infiltrate, were intercepted by own troops; contact was established. Infiltration bid foiled. 01 terrorist killed, 01 AK recovered. Op in progress.”

On July 10, the Army had killed two militants who were trying to sneak in from Nowgam sector in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district. Pertinently, Director General of Police (DGP) J&K Dilbagh Singh had recently said that a large number of militants were ready at the launch pads across LoC to infiltrate into this side.

On June 30, the army had said that an infiltration bid was foiled at Parkian Gali sector in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district on the intervening night of June 29 and June 30 when a group of 6-8 militants, in two groups tried to sneak in. After the initial exchange of fire, the militants, according to the army, went back to the Pakistani side.

Earlier on June 1, another infiltration bid was foiled by the Indian Army at the Line of Control (LoC) in Nowshehra sector of Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district, as three heavily armed militants were killed.

In early April this year, the Army foiled a major infiltration attempt at LoC in north Kashmir’s Keran sector, killing five militants while losing five of its soldiers from elite forces in an operation.

-ARK

Boeing sees India as potential client for its latest F-15 fighter jet

(Source: Boeing.com)

New Delhi (NVI): US aviation major Boeing sees India as a potential customer for its Advanced F-15 Eagle, the newest fighter plane which can carry more weapons than any other aircraft of its class and be equipped with latest technologies.

Prat Kumar, Boeing’s Vice President and Programme Manager for the F-15, said during a webinar that the company is working to have a deal potentially with India to meet its requirement of 114 fighter planes.

The Indian Air Force had in April last year issued a request for information (RFI) to procure 114 fighters at a cost of around USD 18 billion.

He said Boeing was in the process of requesting a marketing license from the U.S Government to start discussions with India.

“India is there for a large 114-jet acquisition programme. We are waiting for the ASQRs (Air Staff Qualitative Requirements), the requirements” definitions, because right now, until we have that, we do not know if this jet is in the sweet spot or not,” Kumar said.

“Right now, we are supporting the US Air Force in whatever shape, way or form we can to answer any questions they have coming from the Indian Air Force (about F-15EX),” he added.

Boeing, in a statement earlier had said, “The F-15EX carries more weapons than any other fighter in its class and can launch hypersonic weapons up to 22 feet long and weighing up to 7,000 pounds.”

Kumar said the multi-role fighter plane will be fitted with the same Raytheon AN/APG-82 Active Electronically Scanned Array radar that has been retrofitted to the USAF F-15E fleet.

Similarly, the new aircraft will feature the Advanced Display Core Processor II mission computer and Suite 9 Operational Flight Program, which also brings them into line with the latest Strike Eagle standard.

He talked about the possibility of adding artificial intelligence to assist F-15EX crews in the future.

Reports on Iran projects speculative: India

New Delhi (NVI): India today dismissed as speculative the reports which claimed that it had been ousted by Iran from the projects of Chabahar Port and the Chabahar-Zahidan railway line in the Persian country.

External Affairs Ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava told a media briefing here that India and Iran have a longstanding commitment since 2003 regarding the Chabahar Port which was finally operationalised in 2016 during the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Iran.

“Since then, despite the difficulties posed by the sanctions situation, there has been significant progress on the Port project,” he said. Iran is under American sanctions over its nuclear programme and countries and their entities have been warned by the US against doing business with the Persian nation.

Srivastava said an Indian company has been operating the Port since 2018 and has steadily scaled up the traffic at the Port.

Since December 2018, 82 vessels have been handled there, including 52 in the last 12 months alone, he said, adding the port handled 12 lakh tonnes of bulk cargo and 8200 containers.

“Proactive measures are currently underway to increase the usage of Chabahar Port, both for Afghanistan and Central Asia,” the MEA spokesman said.

Talking about the proposed railway line, he said IRCON was appointed by the Government of India to assess the feasibility of the project and it was working with CDTIC, an Iranian company under their Ministry of Railways in that regard.

“IRCON has completed the site inspection and review of the feasibility report. Detailed discussions were thereafter held on other relevant aspects of the project, which had to take into account the financial challenges that Iran was facing,” Srivastava said.

In December 2019, these issues were reviewed in detail at the 19th India-Iran Joint Commission Meeting in Tehran and the Iranian side was to nominate an authorized entity to finalize outstanding technical and financial issues, the spokesman said, adding “This is still awaited.”

He said there have also been some reports regarding the Farzad-B Gas field negotiations in which ONGC was involved in the discovery stage.

“Follow-up bilateral cooperation was, however, impacted by policy changes on the Iranian side. In January 2020, we were informed that in the immediate future, Iran would develop the field on its own and would like to involve India appropriately at a later stage. This matter remains under discussion,” he said.

Earlier, a deputy of Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organisation Farhad Montaser was quoted by an Iranian news agency as saying that Iran had “not inked any deal with India regarding the Chabahar-Zahedan railway.”

“Iran has only signed two agreements with Indians for investment in Chabahar — one is related to the port’s machinery and equipment, and the second is related to India’s investment to the tune of $150 million,” Montaser was quoted as saying.

He made it clear that the US “sanctions have nothing to do to Iran-India cooperation in Chabahar”.

The US had in 2018 agreed to a waiver on Chabahar port projects under the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act (IFCA) of 2012.

Over 48 lakh people affected in Assam floods across 30 districts

(Source: @twitter)

New Delhi (NVI): More than 48 lakh people have been affected by the Assam flood which has worsened following the rains in the past few days, taking the death toll to 68 this morning, according to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA).

According to ASDMA, the floods have affected over 48 lakh people in 30 districts, taking the cumulative impact of floods from May 22 to July 15.

Among the districts that have been most affected include, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Biswanath, Sonitpur, Chirang, Udalguri, Golaghat, Jorhat, Majuli, Sivasagar, Dibrugarh, and many others.

Moreover, the district administrations have set up 487 relief camps and distribution centres in 30 districts, where over 1.25 lakh men, women and children have taken shelter.

In addition to this, as many as 66 animals have died as the flood-water submerged in Assam’s Kaziranga national park, the national park official said.

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal also visited the affected areas of the national park to inspect the current situation. The staffs of the national park are committed towards the safety of the animals, he said.

Meanwhile, the rescue operations are on in affected areas and various teams of SDRF, NDRF, state police and locals are helping those affected by the flood.

This year’s flood was among the highest floods in the states. So far, 170 animals have been rescued from the national park.

Apart from this, erosion of river banks has occurred at a large number of places while roads, bridges, culverts and other infrastructure has been damaged, the ASDMA further said.

-RJV

Kulbhushan Jadhav was ‘visibly under stress’, Pak didn’t give unimpeded consular access: MEA

Kulbhushan Jadhav
Kulbhushan Jadhav. (File photo)

New Delhi (NVI): India tonight said the consular access given by Pakistan to Kulbhushan Jadhav early in the day was not “unimpeded, unhindered and unconditional”, thus violating the commitment Islamabad had given to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

In a statement issued after the second consular access given to Jadhav who is on death row in Pakistan on charges of espionage, External Affairs Ministry said Jadhav was “visibly under stress” when two Consular Officers of Indian High Commission went to meet him in Islamabad.

On the contrary, Pakistani officials with an intimidating demeanour were present in close proximity of Jadhav and Consular Officers despite the protests of the Indian side, MEA said.

“It was also evident from a camera that was visible that the conversation with Shri Jadhav was being recorded,” it added.

“Jadhav himself was visibly under stress and indicated that clearly to the Consular Officers. The arrangements did not permit a free conversation between them. The Consular Officers could not engage Jadhav on his legal rights and were prevented from obtaining his written consent for arranging his legal representation,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in an official statement.

“In the light of these circumstances, the Indian Consular Officers came to the conclusion that the consular access being offered by Pakistan was neither meaningful nor credible. After lodging a protest, they left the venue,” MEA said.

It said that it is clear that Pakistan’s approach to this matter continues to be “obstructive and insincere”.

“It has not only violated its assurance to the ICJ to fully implement the 2019 judgment, but also failed to act in accordance with its own Ordinance,” it said.

Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has apprised Jadhav’s family of these developments. “We reiterate our commitment to ensure the safe return of Shri Jadhav to India and will decide on a future course of action in the light of the events today,” MEA added.

Earlier in the day, the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it has provided second consular access to Jadhav.

“Pakistan provided second consular access to Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav at the Indian request today. Two consular officers of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad were provided unimpeded and uninterrupted consular access to Commander Jadhav at 1500 hours,” Pakistan MOFA said in a statement.

The development comes two days ahead of a deadline to file a review petition in Jadhav’s cases at the Islamabad High Court is set to expire.

To recall, an ordinance was promulgated by the Pakistan Government on May 20 this year, which allowed the Indian Government, Jadhav and his legal representatives to file a review petition in IHC within 60 days.

On July 8, India had slammed Pakistan over its claims that Jadhav has refused to review petition in his case. The Ministry of external affairs said that Jadhav has been sentenced to execution through a “farcical trial”. The MEA’s reaction came hours after Pakistan had said that Jadhav has refused to file a review petition and wants to proceed with his pending mercy petition.

The next day, on July 9, India said that it is assessing options to protect the former Navy officer. “At this stage, we are assessing our legal options. We will do our utmost to protect the life of the Indian national,” MEA spokesman Anurag Srivastava had said.

Earlier, Pakistan had also claimed that it has offered a second round of consular access to the 49-year-old Indian Navy officer, who was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of “espionage and terrorism” in April 2017.

Just weeks after the sentence, India had approached the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Pakistan for denial of consular access to Jadhav and challenging the death sentence.

India in talks with 3 countries to establish ‘air bubble’ for resumption of int’l flights

Vande Bharat

New Delhi (NVI): Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri today said India is in negotiations with three countries to establish ‘Air Bubble’ arrangements for allowing international flight operations under pre-conditions.

While addressing a media briefing, Puri said, “Negotiations are at an advanced stage with 3 countries. Air France will operate 28 flights from July 18 to Aug 1 between Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru & Paris.”

He further added, “US will be flying 18 flights between July 17-31 but this is an interim one. We have requests from Germany too to carry out flight operations.”

The Aviation Minister also underlined that bilateral air bubbles will be the way to resume international travel amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Till international civil aviation can reclaim its pre-Covid numbers, I think the answer will lie through bilateral air bubbles which will carry a possible number of people but under defined conditions as countries are still imposing entry restrictions including India,” Puri said.

Earlier this month, Airports Authority of India (AAI) chairman, Arvind Singh had said that India is in talks with the US and Canada and the countries in European and Gulf regions on establishing individual bilateral bubbles which will allow airlines of each country in the pact to operate international flights.

Scheduled international passenger flights have remained suspended in India since March 23 due to the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic.

-CHK/ARK

Former Maha CM tests Covid positive

Shivajirao Patil Nilangekar

New Delhi (NVI): Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Shivajirao Patil Nilangekar tested positive for coronavirus today.

The 88-year-old leader has been shifted to a hospital in Pune, according to media reports.

Patil Nilangekar is the second senior politician from Latur to test positive for the virus.

Earlier BJP MLA from Ausa Abhimanyu Pawar had tested positive and is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Latur.

Shivajirao was the chief minister of the state for a brief stint in 1985-86.

-CHK

J&K: Around 100 inmates test Covid positive at Anantnag Jail

India, Pakistan exchange list of prisoners

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): At least 100 prisoners have tested positive for novel coronavirus in district jail Anantnag in the past three days, setting alarm bells ringing for the jail authorities in Jammu and Kashmir.

A senior jail official said that earlier 47 prisoners, one jail staffer and one contractor supplying material to the jail tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday (July 14). “53 prisoners tested positive for the deadly virus on Thursday, taking the total number of prisoners who tested positive for the virus to 100,” the official said.

Earlier, Director General of Prisons, J&K, VK Singh had stated that elaborate measures that include testing and isolation facilities for the prisoners were put in place in all the prisons. He had stated that every new prisoner is lodged in a particular prison after going through proper Covid mapping at the concerned police station.

However, these cases have raised questions on measures initiated to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in prisons of the Union Territory.

According to details accessed by NVI, the occupancy in jails of J&K presently is 12 per cent more than their normal capacity. As many as 3,628 prisoners are housed in 14 jails of J&K against their overall capacity of 3,234. Besides, nearly 90 PSA detainees are also lodged in jails of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

Sources said that Anantnag jail authorities have written to the Deputy Commissioner Anantnag citing emergency in the jail. “The jail authorities have urged the DC Anantnag to keep the district administration available for meeting the emergency situation as if cases increase further, the number of beds available in the jail and other facilities would be inadequate to deal with the situation,” they said.

Sources in Anantnag jail said that shifting Covid-19 positive prisoners out of jail and admitting them in the hospitals is full of risk as they may find it easy to escape from the hospital.

-ARK

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