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J&K: Panchayats to monitor functioning of govt depts at grassroots level

Mubashir Bukhari

Srinagar (NVI): Panchayats are the new supra bodies to monitor the functioning of government departments at the grassroots level in Jammu and Kashmir.

From keeping a tab on employees to redressing public grievances, Panches and Sarpanches are the new eyes and ears of the government at the village level.

An official of the Rural Development Department said the government has decided to constitute inspection teams to ensure 100 percent attendance of employees at the Panchayat level.

Official documents assessed by News Vibes of India reveal that Divisional Commissioner Kashmir has directed Deputy Commissioners to constitute teams for overseeing the punctuality of officials at sub division block level.

“Divisional Commissioner directed DCs to involve Block Development Council chairpersons, Sarpanches, Urban Local Body members at the grassroots level and plan formulated identification of works and also supervision of works,” the documents read.

Divisional Commissioner Kashmir has also asked the officials to evolve a mechanism for installing drop boxes in all Panchayat Halqas so that people can feel free to register their complaints. Officials have been directed to ensure that the complaints, grievances, and suggestions received are properly addressed.

“Besides, the complainant should be informed about the action taken on his complaint. District Development Commissioners shall regularly monitor the execution of Back To Village works and ensure their completion by March 2020,” Divisional Commissioner has directed officers.

Jammu and Kashmir administration has released Rs 50 crore for works identified during ‘Back to Village’ programme 2.0 held in last week of November last year.

“Officials have been told to work on developmental projects. People at Panchayat Halqas can also give feedback about all these works through complaint box,” an official of the Finance Department said.

The government has also directed the officers to maintain records of works and ensure transparency in the utilisation of funds.

Earlier, Panches and Sarpanches were given powers to take decisions over the development works in their respective ‘halqas’ in Jammu and Kashmir. They were also given control of 21 departments at the Gram Panchayat level.

Arvind Kejriwal sworn in as Delhi CM

New Delhi (NVI): Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal was today sworn in as Delhi Chief Minister for a third consecutive term. The oath-taking ceremony took place at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan.

A heavy security cover is in place at the venue with around 2,000 personnel of Delhi Police and 25 companies of paramilitary forces deployed for the ceremony. Traffic regulations are in place in the area from 8 am to 2 pm.

The newly sworn-in CM, who had also invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the ceremony said that he wants to work with the Centre to make Delhi number one city. PM Modi is not expected to attend the event as he is scheduled to be in his constituency, Varanasi, today. Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal also attended the ceremony at Ramlila Maidan.

The AAP leader dedicated his party’s poll victory in the recently held Delhi Assembly election to Delhiites. The party recorded a massive victory winning 62 of the 70 seats while BJP bagged the remaining eight seats. The Congress was not able to win a single seat for a second consecutive time.

Coronavirus: 1,666 dead; over 68,500 cases confirmed in China

(Image courtesy: CGTN)

New Delhi (NVI): The death toll due to the deadly coronavirus climbed to 1,666 today, as over 68,500 cases have been confirmed in China. 510 cases of the people affected due to the epidemic have been confirmed abroad.

So far, 1,666 people have died in China due to the virus, including 1 in Hong Kong and 3 abroad, according to China Global Television Network (CGTN).

Around 9,419 people have recovered from the virus even as WHO experts scramble to assist Beijing in containing the virus.

China’s National Health Commission has confirmed 2,009 new infection cases across the country.

A pneumonia outbreak was first reported in the city of Wuhan, central China’s Hubei Province, in December last year. Experts have attributed the outbreak to a novel coronavirus that has since spread across China and abroad.

Pollution likely to rise in Delhi due to lower wind speed

(Pic courtesy: SkymetWeather)

New Delhi (NVI): As the summer is just around the corner, the national capital is bracing for a rise in pollution as the wind speed may lower down from today.

Although the strong surface winds since February 12 have led to the rise in temperature, they have helped to clear the pollution over the region, according to a SkymetWeather report.

Due to the phenomenon, the air quality is varying between ‘satisfactory’ to ‘very poor’ category. As per the weather monitor, only a few places on Central Delhi are recording ‘very poor’ air quality.

The prevailing subtropical jet stream will weaken from today, which will cause the wind speed to come down considerably.

Meanwhile, in the next three to four days, the sky conditions will remain clear. The day temperature is likely to remain between 24 to 26 degrees Celsius while the night temperatures will settle around 10 degrees, according to SkymetWeather.

The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 208 today, according to the Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR).

J-K to come up with investment polices within one week

Chief Secretary, B V R Subrahmanyam

Mubashir Bukhari

Jammu (NVI): Ahead of the Jammu and Kashmir Global  Investors’ Summit,  investment friendly sectoral policies will be prepared and pre-event road shows will be held in Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Chennai from February 17.

Chairing the  2nd apex committee meeting to review preparations for the Summit to be held in Srinagar and Jammu, Chief Secretary, B V R Subrahmanyam yesterday expressed optimism that it will be a determining factor in ushering Jammu and Kashmir into an industrial hub.

Subrahmanyam asked all Administrative Secretaries to redouble their efforts for preparing investment-friendly sectoral policies within the next one week.

The summit will not only help to present business-friendly policies of the government but also harmonize Jammu and Kashmir’s intrinsic strength and aspirations of development and employment opportunities.

He also emphasized the need to synergize the roles and responsibilities of the Administrative Secretaries, HoDs and other officers to encourage one on one interaction.

The roadshows will be held in Bengaluru and Kolkata on February 17, in Mumbai on February 21, in Hyderabad on March 2, in Chennai on March 5 and in Ahmedabad on March 9, officials said.

Fifty-four senior officers and dignitaries will preside over the pre-event functions slated during the roadshows, they added.

International roadshows were also planned to attract foreign investment, the officials said. Besides, mini conclaves will be held in Srinagar and Jammu in March, they added. The signing of MoUs with the interested investors will also form a part of the roadshows and the main summit, the officials said.

While reviewing the preparations of various pre-event activities, the chief secretary laid emphasis on ensuring the participation of major industry players for an enhanced awareness among investors to project Jammu and Kashmir as an investment-friendly region.

New technology to drive future of India’s energy sector:Pradhan

New Delhi (NVI): Union Minister of
Petroleum and Natural Gas and Steel Dharmendra Pradhan  today said the future of India’s energy sector will be noticeably different from its current avatar and will be driven by new technology and business models.

In his inaugural address at the 10th World PetroCoal Congress here, he said   India is expected to become the largest energy consumer surpassing US and China, in the next decade or so.

“We are encouraging our oil & gas companies to develop extensive and qualitative engagement with Indian technology and research institutions of excellence,” he said.

“I am happy that seven Indian oil and gas PSUs joined with IIT Bombay last year to set up a Centre of Excellence in oil, gas and energy,” he added.

“Energy transition currently underway can become more manageable only if proactive measures are set in motion. Digital technologies are transforming the energy sector in a profound manner,” Pradhan said.

“Industrial Revolution 4.0 is truly at our door step. Indian energy companies will have to quickly adopt and adapt these technologies at a faster pace,” he said.

“We need to create more innovative platforms in India for convergence of leading global technology leaders in the energy sector,” he added.

Pradhan stressed on the need to achieve the twin objectives of more energy availability at an affordable price and less carbon through a healthy mix of all commercially-viable energy sources.

He said that our target to transform India to a USD 5 trillion economy by 2024, requires a gradual and measured energy transition by deploying all sources of energy.

“The contours of India’s energy transition are also changing fast in sync with global challenges and opportunities,” he said.

“Winds of change are evident in the global energy arena. Energy sources, energy supply and energy consumption patterns are changing rapidly. In our pursuit to navigate energy transition, it is natural that we will take advantage of unique synergies that exist within the country,” he said.

“Equally, our efforts will be guided by our global commitments be it under UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of 2030 or those under Paris Climate Summit. ”, he said.

The government’s approach to energy policy is based on energy access, energy sustainability, energy affordability, energy efficiency and energy security. All these five enablers will deliver energy justice to our people.

The Minister advocated the need to move away from the crude price as the basis for determining the LNG price.

“Global gas production and markets have witnessed significant restructuring during the last few years. Global supply of LNG is increasing at a rapid pace, and globally LNG prices are coming down significantly,” he said.

“It is time for our companies to take a relook at the term-contracts with major LNG suppliers. I also believe that the time has come for changing the pricing formulae for purchase of LNG by India,” he added.

Talking about the initiatives in transforming India into a gas-based economy, Pradhan said I consider that the biggest game changer to bring about greater environmental sustainability and flexibility in India’s energy system is through rapid deployment of natural gas.

“It would serve as a transition fuel in our country. Our government is working towards increasing the share of gas from 6.2% to 15% in the energy mix by 2030,” he said.

Pradhan also spoke about estimated investment of 60 billion US dollars being lined up in the sector, developing a ‘one Nation one Gas Grid’, cross-country pipelines, rapid expansion of the LNG infrastructure in the country, City Gas Distribution (CGD) network expanding to cover more than 70 % of the country’s population, covering 407 districts spread across 28 States and Union Territories.

“We are actively encouraging use of LNG, among others, for long-haul trucking along expressways, industrial corridors and inside mining areas, marine applications.  We are also making natural gas easily available at doorsteps for users through mobile dispensing.” he added.

Describing alternative fuels like ethanol and bio-diesel being on high priority  in energy mix, he said “We are well on our way to meet the target of 20% blending of ethanol in petrol and 5% blending of bio-diesel in diesel by 2030.  We are advancing our collaboration with countries such as Brazil and US to improve blending technologies in transport sector.”

Pradhan said that India is now leading the global movement in embracing renewable energy sources. The country has an ambitious plan to increase renewable energy capacity to over 175 GW by 2022 and up to 450 GW subsequently.

“I wish to emphasize that India needs all kinds of transportation solutions – cleaner diesel and petrol, CNG, LNG, bio fuels and Electric Vehicles,” he added.

VP suggests active participation of society for promotion of tribal culture

New Delhi (NVI): Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu today called for active participation od all sections of society for preservation and promotion of tribal culture and said tribals should be made equal partners in India’s development journey.

Addressing the ‘AadivasiMahotsav -2020’ at Ramnagar, in Madhya Pradesh, he said tribal communities represent the ancient culture and values of India.

“Our younger generations should be made aware of their eternal values and traditions.” he said.

Naidu voiced concern over the fact that around 250 languages have disappeared in last 50 years and most of these extinct languages belonged to tribal communities. He wanted the Universities to preserve and promote the local tribal culture.

“When a language dies, it symbolises the downfall of a culture, a civilisation, a creative tradition”, he said.

“Preservation of tribal culture was not the responsibility of governments alone and exhorted the country’s youth to care for our tribal history and heritage,” he added.

“When hotels can serve foreign cuisine, why can’t they promote local tribal flavours which are more suited to our bodily and climatic conditions? Why can’t city youth pursue tribal music and instruments as their hobby?”, he asked.

Expressing happiness that National Tribal University in Amarkantak has become functional, he exhorted the scholars to research upon the tribal languages, literature, folk song, crafts etc.

“We should include the traditional tribal knowledge in our intellectual and academic discourse else these knowledge systems may go extinct in future”, he said.

Bringing out the relevance of tribal way of life, the Vice President said that today when the world is beset by the problems such as global warming and climate change and increased frequency of natural disasters, our tribal communities can show us the path of sustainable development.

He also appreciated tribal communities for respecting nature and keeping harmonious relations with their environment and all living beings.

Calling these as the great characteristics of the tribal cultures, the Vice President said that world can learn a lot from these communities.

“Mindless exploitation of nature will lead to disastrous consequences”, he added.

He further said that even while preserving their unique lifestyle and culture, the tribals should be made equal partner in India’s development journey. There is need for constant and constructive dialogue between the administration and local communities, he added.

Highlighting that violence is not solution to any problem, the Vice President said that left wing extremism has not solved any problem and way of ballot is better than the bullet.

Citing various constitutional provisions for the welfare of tribal areas, he called the development of our tribal communities is a prerequisite for the inclusive development.

Citing various Government schemes for the welfare of tribal communities such as Van BandhuKalyanYojana, minimum support price (MSP) for forest produce, VP expressed happiness over recent announcement by the President for setting up of 400 new Eklavya schools.

He expressed deep concern at the lower than average literacy rates among the tribal communities and appealed to them to send their children to schools.

He specifically asked everyone to send their daughters to schools and turnBetiBachao -BetiPadhaointo a successful movement.

Emphasising the need for the promotion of entrepreneurship among the tribal youth, Naidu opined that linking TRIFED with the wide marketing network of ‘Khadi and Village Industries Commission’ would provide access to a larger market for tribal handicrafts.

He also suggested to give further push to online marketing of tribal products.

Mentioning various tribal struggles and movements such as Munda revolt, Santhal revolt, the Vice President said that tribal communities were the first to wage war of independence against colonial exploitation and oppression.

“Heroes such as Birsa Munda, Sidhu,Kanhu, RaniAvantibai are an inspiration for all and their life stories should be taught to children in our schools”, he said

“Only then our history would be complete and inclusive,” he added.

VP expressed satisfaction that in this year’s Padma awards also the government has recognised the people who dedicated their lives for the enrichment and promotion of tribal culture and the welfare of tribal communities.

Amarnath Yatra to commence from June 23

Amarnath Yatra
File pic of Amarnath Yatra
Mubashir Bukhari

Jammu (NVI): The Amarnath Yatra would commence from June 23 this year from the  day of the Jagan Nath Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir.

GC Murmu, Lieutenant Governor presided over the 37th Board Meeting held at Raj Bhavan, where the details about the 42-day long Yatra were discussed along with the  Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB).

The Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Committee laid down the duration and schedule of future Yatras keeping in view the safety and security of  pilgrims.

The Yatra will be concluded on Shravan Purnima (Raksha Bandhan) on 3rd August, 2020.

The Board noted the steps taken by CEO for the registration of pilgrims through 442 designated branches of Punjab National Bank, Jammu and Kashmir Bank and YES Bank, located in 32 States and UTs, and directed him to take all the required steps to commence advanced registration of pilgrims from April 1, 2020.

Considering the success of Pilot Project of Online Registration of limited number of intending Yatris in 2019, the Board decided to increase the quota of online registration.

The Board further directed for wide publicity through the electronic and print media, informing the Yatris to timely secure the prescribed Compulsory Health Certificates issued by the doctors or hospitals nominated by their home States or UTs and only thereafter proceed to seek advance registration from the nearest located designated Bank which would issue the pilgrim a Yatra Permit valid for the specified date and route.

The Board directed the CEO to take timely steps for ensuring uninterrupted telecom connectivity in the Yatra area. Appreciating the important services rendered by the Langar Organizations, the Board looked forward to their continued support during the ensuing Yatra.

Instructions were also issued to ensure that the Yatra routes and camps remain plastic free.

Those present at the meeting included Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, Advisor to the Lt Governor, BVR Subrahmanyam, Chief Secretary and Members of the Board including Swami Avdheshanand Giri Ji Maharaj; D.C. Raina; Bhajan Sopori; Anita Billawaria; Sudershan Kumar; CM Seth and Vishwamurti Shastri.

Bipul Pathak, Chief Executive Officer; Anup Kumar Soni, Additional Chief Executive Officer; and other senior officers of the Shrine Board also attended the meeting.

Love conquering coronavirus on quarantined ship in Japan

Diamond princess, which was docked off in Yokohama, Japan.

New Delhi (NVI): Quarantined off the Japan coast after cases of coronavirus on board, the crew of  the Diamond Princess celebrated Valentine’s Day with a dinner menu that included “Cupid’s avocado and shrimp”, and a surprise desert.

Passengers onboard danced, clicked pictures and tweeted to showcase the efforts of the staff onboard and the treats they were served while being quarantined.

The Japanese cruise ship, which is docked in Yokohama, since the past two weeks, has at least 219 positive cases of coronavirus out of the 3,600 customers and staff onboard.

Meanwhile, death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in mainland China rose to 1,523, after 143 people died over the course of the day, the country’s National Health Commission said today.

The number of new deaths in central Hubei province, at the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, rose by 139 as of Friday.

Most of the new deaths were in Hubei’s provincial capital of Wuhan, where the virus is believed to have originated, with 107 new deaths. A total of 1,123 people in Wuhan have now died from the coronavirus.

There were 2,641 new confirmed infections across mainland China, bringing the national total to 66,492.

Over 115 gigawatts of solar panels to be installed in 2020: Report

New Delhi (NVI): More than 115 gigawatts (GW) of solar panels will be installed in 2020 across the world, which is more than all other generation technologies put together, a report said.

According to World Economic Forum report, solar energy is increasingly becoming low cost, especially in sunnier regions where it has already become the lowest-cost form of new electricity generation.

In the coming years, technology improvements will ensure that solar panels becomes even cheaper.

It could well be that by 2030, solar panels will become the most important source of energy for electricity production in a large parts of the world.

This will also have a positive impact on the environment and climate change.

Going forward the solar industry has very clear cost-reduction roadmaps, which should see solar costs halving by 2030.

There is already a move in place towards higher-efficiency modules, which can generate 1.5 times more power than existing, similarly sized modules today using a technology called tandem silicon cells.

These are going to have a large impact going forward.

In addition, there are production innovations coming down the pipeline that will reduce the amounts of costly materials such as silver and silicon used in the manufacture of solar cells, as well as innovations such as bifacial modules which allow panels to capture solar energy from both sides.

The other important innovation is around how best to integrate solar into our homes, businesses and power systems.

This means better power electronics and a greater use of low-cost digital technologies.

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