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Four militants killed in Kashmir encounter

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

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): Four unidentified militants have been killed in an encounter at Mehloora area of South Kashmir’s Shopian district, police officials said today.

Acting on a tip-off, joint teams of police, army and CRPF laid a siege in Mehloora village of Shopian late on Tuesday evening. “There were specific inputs about the presence of militants in the village. A multi-layer cordon was laid to ensure militants don’t flee,” a police officer told NVI, requesting anonymity.

He said that searches were intensified and with the first light of the day, hiding militants fired a volley of bullets at the security forces triggering a fierce encounter. “In the initial exchange of fire, two militants were killed while as two others continued to fire from different locations,” the officer said.

In the morning, the security forces launched the final assault and killed two more militants.

“In total four militants have been killed in the encounter. The firing has stopped and the area is being sanitised,” the officer said, adding that search operation is on in the area.

“It was a clean operation without any collateral damage,” he said.

He said that the identity and affiliation of the slain militants is being ascertained.

Kashmir zone police tweeted, “Four unidentified militants killed. Arms and ammunition recovered. Operation over.”

Locals of Mehloora said the house where militants were hiding was razed to ground completely.

Police urged people not to go closer to the encounter spot till the area is properly sanitised.

UN warns of global hunger; COVID-19 cases top 2.56 mn worldwide

New Delhi (NVI): The coronavirus pandemic has now infected more than 2.56 million people globally taking the fatalities to more than 1,77,000, according to John Hopkins University tally.

The United Nations has warned that global hunger could double as a result of the novel coronavirus, putting 265 million people at risk.

In addition to this, the total number of positive cases in US has reached 8,25,041 while more that 40,000 have lost their lives due to the deadly virus.

In UK, 823 new deaths were reported, taking the total to 17,337 in the country, according to Department for Health and Social Care.

Italy reported 534 new deaths, bringing the total death toll to 24,648, with the positive cases till date standing at 1,83,957.

Meanwhile, Singapore has extended a month-long lockdown until June 1 after a surge in positive cases were reported.

Total Covid-19 cases rise to 19,984 in India; death toll at 640

New Delhi (NVI): The total number of coronavirus cases in India rose to 19,984 and 640 died from the pandemic, the Union Health Ministry said this morning.

In the past 24 hours, 1,383 fresh coronavirus cases have been reported.

At least 50 people succumbed to the pandemic in a day.

Maharashtra continues to remain worst affected state with 5,218 coronavirus cases.

While Gujarat has replaced Delhi in the second place with 2,178 COVID-19 cases, there are 2,156 cases in national capital, Health Ministry data showed.

Other states with a high virus hit included Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

Meanwhile, Goa and Manipur have declared themselves as Coronavirus free states.

At present, the number of active coronavirus cases stands at 15,474, while 3,869 people have cured or discharged.

Over 541 tons of medical cargo transported by Lifeline Udan flights

(Source: Twitter @MoCA_GoI)

New Delhi (NVI): 316 flights have been operated under Lifeline Udan by Air India, Alliance Air, IAF and private carriers during COVID-19 lockdown, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said today.

196 of these flights have been operated by Air India and Alliance Air. Cargo transported till date is around 541.33 tons, the ministry said in a statement.

Aerial distance covered by Lifeline Udan flights till date is over 3,14,965 km, it added.

‘Lifeline Udan’ flights are being operated by MoCA to transport essential medical cargo to remote parts of the country to support India’s war against COVID-19, the ministry said.

Apart from this, helicopter services including Pawan Hans Ltd have been operating in J&K, Ladakh, Islands and North East region transporting critical medical cargo and patients. “Pawan Hans till 20 April 2020 have carried 1.90 tons of cargo covering a distance of 6537 kms,” the ministry said.

The domestic Lifeline Udan cargo includes COVID-19 related reagents, enzymes, medical equipment, testing kits, Personal protective equipment (PPE), masks, gloves, other materials of HLL and ICMR; cargo requisitioned by State/UT Governments and postal packets etc.

Domestic Lifeline Udan flights operate in a hub and spoke model. Special focus has been on the North East Region, island territories and the hill states. Air India and IAF collaborated primarily for J&K, Ladakh, North-East and other island regions, the Civil Aviation Ministry said.

Bulk of the cargo comprises light-weight and voluminous products like masks, gloves and other consumables, that consume relatively larger storage space on the aircraft. Special permission has been taken to store cargo in the passenger seating area and overhead cabins, with due precautions, it said.

Health Min launches ‘Covid India Seva’

New Delhi (NVI): Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan today launched ‘COVID India Seva’, an interactive platform for citizens’ engagement on COVID-19 and respond to their queries in real-time.

The interactive platform is aimed at establishing a direct channel of communication with millions of Indians amid the pandemic, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said.


This initiative is aimed at enabling transparent e-governance delivery in real-time and answering citizen queries swiftly, at scale, especially in crisis situations like the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the ministry said in a statement.

Through this platform, people can pose queries @CovidIndiaSeva and get them responded to in almost real time.

@CovidIndiaSeva works off a dashboard at the backend that helps process large volumes of tweets, converts them into resolvable tickets, and assigns them to the relevant authority for real-time resolution, the ministry said.

Covid: CAT benches suspended till May 3

Batla House
Representational image

New Delhi (NVI): The functioning of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) benches will remain suspended till May 3, to contain the spread of Covid-19, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions said today.

The CAT benches adjudicate service matters of central government employees.

The feasibility of working on certain days already declared as holidays or vacation shall also be considered once the functioning begins, the Ministry said in a statement today.

The decision was taken based on information that the High Courts are not functioning and exceptional cases are dealt with through video conferencing.

In almost all places, the CAT benches are located at hotspots and the representatives of Bar have also expressed their difficulty in filing or pursuing the cases in this situation, the Ministry said in a statement.

Earlier, on April 14 it was stated by the ministry that the possibility of functioning of the CATs would be examined after April 20, “depending upon the decision which the government may take as regards the lockdown”.

66 new Covid-19 cases take Afghanistan tally to 1,092

New Delhi (NVI): A total of 66 new coronavirus cases were reported in Afghanistan over the past 24 hours, taking the total number of Covid-19 cases to 1,092, according to the country’s Health Ministry, Afghan media reported.

Among the new cases, 52 were reported in Kabul, 5 in Laghman, 4 in Baghlan, 4 in Nangarhar and 1 in Paktia, according to reports.

Kabul, with a total of 385 coronavirus infections, Herat at 334 and Qanadahar at 108, remain the country’s worst-affected areas.

More than a dozen staff members at the Afghan presidential palace have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, as per Afghan media reports.

15 people have recovered from coronavirus in the last 24 hours, Afghan Health Ministry spokesperson Wahidullah Maya was quoted as saying by TOLO news.

So far, 36 people have died due to pandemic across the country and 150 others have recovered.

Covid-19 impact on industry to extend beyond Q1: Assocham survey

Indian economy

New Delhi (NVI): The industry is most likely to witness economic stress due to nationwide lockdown forced by the Covid-19 well beyond first quarter of the current fiscal, according to the respondents of an ASSOCHAM-Primus Partners’ joint survey.

The survey report has also highlighted that companies are planning deferment or cancellation of investment plans and that more employers prefer to retain manpower than those seeking to reduce the head-count.

The ASSOCHAM-Primus Partners Survey was conducted across different sectors, including manufacturing, infrastructure and services with a sample size of 3,552, encompassing all segments of the industry- small, medium and large.

As many as 79 per cent of the respondents pointed towards the economic impact of the Covid-19 extending beyond a single quarter with the lockdown resulting in breakdown in the supply chain – from raw material to intermediates to finished goods and transportation to the consumer destination.

“While we expect major easing of lockdown after May 3, even if some states continue with stringent restrictions, the industry faces a long haul of challenges till the world finds a medical solution to the Coronavirus pandemic. Hopefully, India remains among those least affected, aided by several factors like young population, ramp-up in health infrastructure, aided by nation-wide lockdown, though at a huge economic cost,” said ASSOCHAM Secretary General Deepak Sood.

“It goes to the credit of both employers and employees that we have so far avoided displacement of workforce. Companies are resorting to pragmatic solutions like reducing manpower costs and retaining the head count, while employees are responding well to the fast-developing situation being among the most important business stakeholders,” he added.

The survey also found that the biggest worry, as noted by 33 per cent respondents, arose from the lack of working capital while payment of salaries with output loss and without cash realisation was the second biggest pressure point for the industry ( 27 per cent).

Coming to business revenue, over 78 per cent of the respondents said the impact in the April-June quarter would be the maximum, while it would stretch to the subsequent quarter as well.

Regarding manpower, the survey noted that most of the participants (36 per cent) said there would be no change in the head count since the companies would like to retain the human resource for re-opening of the economy. However, as many as 26 per cent of the respondents did feel there could be reduction in manpower even beyond 20 per cent of the payroll because of on-going crisis.

While over 37 per cent of those surveyed said they were taking up cost containment initiatives, close to 29 per cent said they plan to defer or cancel their investment plans. A good number of them are resorting to change in financing plans, while the mergers and acquisitions, and remain on low key for now.

However a mixed picture emerged on the effectiveness of the government measures announced so far. While 34 per cent the measures were “somewhat effective”, another 27 per cent noted ”no effect”.

As per the survey, key challenges included lack of raw material, productivity loss, insufficient staffing to carry out critical work and limited operations due to transport operations.

12 new positive cases in J&K, tally jumps to 380

Representational Image

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): Jammu and Kashmir government today said that 12 more persons have tested positive for Covid-19, taking the total number of cases in the Union Territory to 380. The UT administration said that there would be no relaxation in 92 red zones of J&K, considering the present situation.

Addressing a press conference at Jammu, JK government spokesperson Rohit Kansal said that 12 new cases have tested positive today in J&K of which 11 are from Kashmir and one from Jammu’s Kathua district which has reported its first case today.

Of the new cases, 11 are from Kashmir and one from Kathua district of Jammu division, he said, adding that total number of cases in J&K is 380 of which Jammu has 56 and Kashmir 324.

Kansal further said that there have been 81 recoveries across the J&K so far as the government continues to fight the pandemic with all its resources. “There were, unfortunately, five deaths too,” he said.

The government spokesman said that that 60,000 people have been enlisted for surveillance of which 35,000 have completed mandatory 28-days quarantine. “Of the 380 cases, there are 294 active cases. 251 active cases are in Kashmir and 38 in Jammu region,” he said.

He said that so far, 75 to 80 per cent Covid-19 patients have been found as “asymptomatic” while remaining had clear symptoms of the virus. Kansal said that in J&K UT, there are 92 red zones of which 14 are in Jammu and 78 in Kashmir division.

“These red zones will be under strict restrictions, extra surveillance, and enhanced testing will be done for the people living there,” he said.  “People living in red zones, hotspots and containment areas will have to face restrictions. We want to assure the people that administration and the health department are doing everything to minimise the inconvenience to the people.”

Kansal addd that continued support of people and cooperation has led to proactive contact tracing in J&K which has helped the government to arrest the transmission of the disease. “I would like to state here that our testing rate has considerably improved and at present our testing rate is 703 per million, one of the highest in the country. We are targeting 1000 per day,” he said.

“We are also planning to enhance the testing capacity by adding more labs. We are getting more manpower, automatic machines and ensuring all gadgets through the supply chain. We are also ensuring sample collection centers at all districts. This all has slowed the growth of virus,” he added.

He also said that the supply of essential commodities in Kashmir is normal and that 1,000 trucks have reached Kashmir today with essential supplies including fruit, vegetable, LPG etc. “We understand that a section of people is facing economic hardships and they are being covered under Prime Minister’s Gareeb Kalyan Yojna across J&K,” he said, adding that 2.5 lakh people have been benefited under this scheme so far in the UT.

Unprecedented collapse in economic activity over last few weeks: FICCI

New Delhi (NVI): Industry body FICCI has conducted a survey to assess the impact of COVID-19 crisis on economic activities which says that 70 per cent of the surveyed firms are expecting degrowth in sales in the fiscal year 2020-21.

Covid-19 pandemic is severely impacting the Indian economy and the industry. The magnitude and speed of collapse in economic activity that India has seen over the last few weeks is unprecedented.

In the ‘FICCI–Dhruva survey’ almost 72% of the respondents have reported that covid-19 is having a ‘high to very high’ level of impact on their business.

Further, a substantial majority of the respondents do not foresee a positive demand outlook for their business in this fiscal, with 70% of the surveyed firms expecting a degrowth in sales in the fiscal year 2020-21, according to the survey.

A vast majority also foresee a reduction in their business cashflows and company’s order book. The survey also highlights that unless a substantive economic package is announced by the government immediately, permanent impairment of a large section of the industry is foreseen, which may lose the opportunity for many businesses to come back to life again.

The survey report further says that jobs are also at risk over the coming months as nearly three-fourths of the surveyed firms said that they may look at some reduction in manpower in their respective companies.

The findings were revealed in a joint nationwide survey of businesses conducted by FICCI and Dhruva Advisors over the last week. The survey was conducted to elicit how enterprises are getting impacted in terms of their business operations; what steps are being planned to maintain business continuity; what is their outlook for business in the FY 2021 and what are their expectations from the government in this hour of crisis.

The survey saw participation from almost 380 companies from across sectors and has thrown up some very important results and insights that should be useful for the policymakers as they plan for the next steps of their integrated approach to support Indian industry.

FICCI President Dr Sangita Reddy said: “The Covid-19 pandemic is causing deep economic harm and could reverse the gains made in the industrial economy over many decades. There is a need to render immediate and sizable support to industry to protect people, jobs, and enterprises. Industry members are reeling under severe financial stress and are in urgent need of ample liquidity to ensure business continuity. We are hopeful that the government will introduce a series of measures in quick succession to support demand ensure business continuity. This would be a confidence booster and we hope sentiment will improve following the economic package.”

Dinesh Kanabar, CEO, Dhruva Advisors said: “The broad-based survey shows the deep impact that Covid-19 is likely to leave on the Indian economy in the short to medium term. Clearly, the plans prepared by businesses on fund-raising, investments and expansion are being pushed back. Businesses will focus on cost optimisation and supply chain management. There is a significant expectation from the Government for a financial stimulus and providing liquidity, including by way of tax refunds and cheaper credit, so that the economy returns to normalcy faster.”

The survey also highlights the impact covid-19 has had on companies’ expansion plans. Results show that in respect of approved expansion plans, 61% expect to defer such expansions for a period upto 6 or 12 months, while 33% percent expect to defer approved expansion plans for more than 12 months. Further, while 60% of the surveyed firms have deferred their fund-raising plans for the next 6-12 months, nearly 25% of the firms have shelved the same.

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