(Video: Mubashir Bukhari)
New Delhi (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi today appreciated state carrier Air India for evacuating Indians stranded abroad amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
While sharing a tweet by Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, PM Modi wrote: “Extremely proud of this team of @airindiain, which has shown utmost courage and risen to the call of humanity. Their outstanding efforts are admired by several people across India. #IndiaFightsCorona”.
Extremely proud of this team of @airindiain, which has shown utmost courage and risen to the call of humanity. Their outstanding efforts are admired by several people across India. #IndiaFightsCorona https://t.co/I7Czxep7bj
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 23, 2020
Puri had yesterday commended the Air India team through his message on the microblogging site: “When the going gets tough, the tough get going. The crew of @airindiain Boeing 777 led by Capt Swati Raval & Capt Raja Chauhan responded to the call of duty & displayed exemplary determination by airlifting 263 Indians, mostly students, stranded in Rome”.
Air India team has helped airlift Indian nationals from Wuhan in Mainland China and Iran which are one of the most affected countries by the coronavirus outbreak.
Meanwhile, 415 positive cases of coronavirus have been reported in India so far with 7 deaths across the nation, according to the Health Ministry.
Mubashir Bukhari
Srinagar (NVI): Jammu Kashmir Police today arrested five militant associates and recovered a cache of arms and ammunition after interrogating them, from Keran area of Kupwara district.
They were arrested for providing logistic support and shelter to active militants operating in the northern region of Kashmir.
Inspector General of Police, Vijay Kumar (IPS) said that police have recovered eight AK-47 rifles, nine pistols, 300 live rounds, 80 grenades and other paraphernalia in Keran sector.
Police officials said that during questioning, the arrested persons gave the location to Sopore police of the place where a large quantity of “war-like stores” was dumped.
A team of police from Sopore then went to Keran sector of Kupwara from where they recovered the arms and ammunition.
According to police, it was revealed that people, who were arrested, were working for a new militant organisation TRF/JK Fighters-The Resistance Front.
“As per the initial investigation, the organisation is currently being handled by one person based in Pakistan,” police said.
Earlier this month, the police busted militant rackets in Ganderbal and Budgam districts.
Mubashir Bukhari
Srinagar (NVI): Jammu and Kashmir police today pressed drones into service in Srinagar as well as other parts of the Valley to monitor the COVID-19 situation and make people aware of the restrictions imposed by administration in wake of novel coronavirus pandemic.
At Lal Chowk here today, cops were seen using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to urge people to remain in their homes, through a speaker attached to the drone.
“People are requested to remain indoors as administration has imposed some precautionary curbs for their well-being. Your stay at home is the remedy of COVID-19,” police told locals while making announcements.
These drones are also being used to check whether there are any violations of prohibitory orders, police said.
Senior Superintendent of Police Srinagar, Haseeb Mughal told media that isolation is important and they have asked people to remain confined to their homes. “Through drones, we are appealing people to remain inside and avoid social gatherings,” he said.
He further said that to contain the virus, the administration has imposed section 144 in the whole Valley including Srinagar to restrict the movement of people.
Yesterday, Inspector General of Police, Vijay Kumar (IPS) said that thermal capability-based drones are being pressed in service to track the movement of people.
He also appealed people not to come out in view of the lockdown announced by the government.
Jammu and Kashmir Government has already declared COVID-19 an epidemic and has ordered the closure of all establishments and services except essential commodities and services till March 31.
New Delhi (NVI): On the occasion of Shaheed Diwas today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru, saying that the country will always remember their sacrifice.
“On Shaheed Diwas, I bow down to the great sons of Mother India, Veer Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru. The country will always be grateful to their sacrifice for the country,” PM Modi said in a message on Twitter in Hindi.
March 23 is observed as Shaheed Diwas every year to pay tribute to Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev Thapar- the Indian revolutionaries who were hanged by the British Government in 1931.
The trio was hanged by the British for their alleged involvement in the killing of deputy police superintendent JP John Saunders in 1928, to avenge the death of Lala Lajpat Rai.
New Delhi (NVI): The total number of coronavirus cases globally has surged past 3,36,000, with more than 14,500 fatalities, according to John Hopkins University, which reported that China, Italy and the United States had the most people diagnosed with the coronavirus.
At least 400 people have been reported dead due to the COVID-19 in the US, another grim milestone as the number of US cases topped 32,000.
Almost half of those cases — 15,168 — were in New York, where Governor Andrew Cuomo said that an estimated 40 per cent to 80 per cent of residents could get coronavirus over the course of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, Italy has banned all internal travel in the country, in a further escalation of its attempt to curb the spread of the pandemic, as more than 5,400 people have died in the country from COVID-19.
Spain has become the second-worst affected country in Europe, and has extended a state of emergency until April 11, after recording more than 1,700 deaths.
Meanwhile, the death toll in Iran reached to 1,685, according to Anadolu news agency. The toll rose after 129 people died in the coronavirus-affected country, an Iranian health official was quoted as saying by the news agency.
According to Iranian state TV, Health Ministry Spokesperson Kianoush Jahanpour said 1,028 new virus cases were found, raising the number of cases to 21,638.
He added that a total of 7,913 people who were treated for the virus have so far been discharged from hospital.
China continues to see more cases of coronavirus being imported from abroad, and is ramping up control measures to cope up with the disease.
The Chinese National Health Commission says there were 39 new confirmed cases on Sunday, down from 46 a day earlier. All involved travellers arriving from abroad.
On the other hand, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is placed in self-quarantine after a doctor who treated her tested positive for coronavirus, according to the media reports.
In addition to this, Harvey Weinstein, the former movie producer jailed for sexual assault and rape under the #MeToo campaign, has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the media.
New Delhi (NVI): The central government today asked states to strictly enforce the lockdown and take legal action against violators as Prime Minister Narendra Modi noted that people were not taking the regulations seriously.
A day after the entire nation observed ‘Janata Curfew’, the Prime Minister appealed to the citizens to take the shutdown seriously after several videos of people taking out rallies and gathering on roads emerged. The PM also appealed to the state governments to ensure that rules and regulations imposed to combat COOVID-19 are being implemented properly.
लॉकडाउन को अभी भी कई लोग गंभीरता से नहीं ले रहे हैं। कृपया करके अपने आप को बचाएं, अपने परिवार को बचाएं, निर्देशों का गंभीरता से पालन करें। राज्य सरकारों से मेरा अनुरोध है कि वो नियमों और कानूनों का पालन करवाएं।
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 23, 2020
The Central Government has also directed states to strictly enforce lockdown. An official statement said that legal action will be taken against violators.
The Central and state governments have completely imposed lockdown in 80 districts across the country, especially at places where coronavirus cases have been reported, which include districts of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.
So far, the total number of COVID-19 cases is nearing 400 in India, with 7 deaths reported, according to the Health Ministry.
New Delhi (NVI): The weather has completely changed in many cities in Rajasthan as intermittent rains have started there due to a cyclonic system over the state due to western disturbance in northern India.
According to SkymetWeather, rains are expected in the western Indian state in the coming days. The state has witnessed a good spell of rains in the pre-monsoon season. However, the precipitation has not favored the farmers in the state as crops have received damage due to hailstorm.
The weather remained clear yesterday but rain activities are expected from today in Churu and Ganganagar. The weather monitor also forecasts that rains may continue on March 24, 25 as well and will further intensify on March 26 and 27.
During March 26 and 27, the western parts of Rajasthan including Churu, Ganganagar, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Sawai Madhopur, Udaipur, and Kota may receive heavy showers. State capital Jaipur may also receive rains during this time.
So these places in the western part of the state may also affect crops as hailstorm is also expected, the report said.
The weather monitor has also warned the farmers and people in the region to remain alert and take care of their cattle as thunderstorms and lightning is also expected along with rain activity.
In the last 24 hours, many parts of South and West Rajasthan have also been experiencing light to moderate rain and thundershowers.
These rains can also be considered as ‘unseasonal’ rains as, during the month of March, rainfall activities occur in the wake of Western Disturbance.
The rainfall activities will lead to a marginal drop in temperature by 3 to 4 degrees Celsius. And, the maximum temperatures will start increasing after March 27.
Meanwhile, the state of Madhya Pradesh will also observe light to moderate rain and thundershowers.
In Delhi, the minimum temperature today was recorded at 16 degrees Celsius.
However, the maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to rise over the next few days, according to IMD.
Mubashir Bukhari
Srinagar (NVI): Scores of Kashmiri students have been stranded in Jammu and other parts of the country after they were not able to move easily because of lack of transport or other restrictions imposed by the government in the wake of COVI-19.
Most of the students, who were pursuing studies in various parts of the country, are not able to come back to the valley, due to restrictions and lack of transport facilities.
Rashid Ahmad, a Kashmir student pursuing a Ph.D. in Punjab told NVI that after facing a lot of difficulties, they were able to reach their home villages in Kashmir.
“Our university hostel was shut by the administration and we had no other choice but to return home. Yesterday when we reached Jammu, we didn’t get any transport and had to spend a night under the open sky in Jammu,” Rashid said.
Another student Khalid Ahmad Dar, who is pursuing Nursing in Bangalore, too narrated the same ordeal. Khalid was preparing for his exams in his hostel room when college authorities asked them to vacate their hostels and return home.
“We had already booked for tickets for today because we didn’t know, it was Janta curfew. We have to face lot of difficulties while boarding cab till airport,” he said.
Khalid said when they reached Srinagar today, they had to wait for hours to reach his hometown Sopore. “Due to restrictions, we were blocked on Srinagar-Baramulla highway for hours, forces were not allowing us to move,” Khalid said.
Besides these students, around 100 students are stranded in Jammu and other parts of India currently. “Only a few cabs left for Srinagar on Sunday. Most of the students cramped just to reach home. When transport is limited, cab owners start overcharging. Many students are running out of cash,” said one of the students.
In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, all the educational institutions have been shut till March 31.
Spokesperson of Jammu and Kashmir Students Association, Nasir Khuehami said that hundreds of Kashmir students are stranded in different parts of the country. “The airfares are very expensive and students can’t afford such huge chunk of money,” he said.
He said some air ticketing agents are taking advantage of the closure of Srinagar-Jammu Highway and over-charging these students.
The association has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Puri to look into the matter.
Mubashir Bukhari
Srinagar (NVI): Jammu and Kashmir Government ordered a complete shutdown of all establishments today except essential services across the Union Territory till March 31, in the wake of coronavirus outbreak.
“Deputy Commissioners/District Magistrates shall issue orders under Section 144 Cr PC and also under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 (both Acts) to shutdown all establishments except these providing essential commodities in their districts from Sunday 22 March (08:00 PM) till Tuesday the 31 March 2020 (06 00 PM),” read order by Chief Secretary B V R Subrahmanyam.
Rohit Kansal, government spokesperson, J&K said: “shutdown of all establishments and services except essential commodities/ services throughout J&K from 8:00 pm today till 6 PM March 31. Vehicles carrying essential supplies exempted; essential services too exempted.”
#COVID19 #Jammu&Kashmir
Complete Shutdown kicks in. DMs of Jammu, Budgam, Srinagar, Samba,Udhampur Kathua, Reasi, Baramulla Kupwara, Shopian, Pulwama, Ramban, Rajouri, Anantnag issue orders.Others being issued. Strict enforcement. @diprjk— Rohit Kansal (@kansalrohit69) March 22, 2020
The Government has also restricted assembly of three persons at public places.
Earlier today, Srinagar administration had ordered the closure of all establishments in Srinagar from this evening till March 31.
District Commissioner Srinagar, Dr. Shahid Choudhary in a tweet announced: “There will be complete shutdown of establishments in District #Srinagar w.e.f 8PM 22nd March to 6PM 31st March. Essential Services exempted.”
In view of the situation arising due to COVID-19, Secretary Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs Simrandeep Singh today issued an order declaring 16 services as Essential services and commodities within the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the order, the Essential Services will include supply of groceries (wholesalers and retailers) supply of fresh fruits and vegetables (mandies and retailers), dispensing of petrol/diesel at pumps, milk shops and dairies and related products, supply of cattle feed and fodder, medicines and other pharmaceuticals (retailers, wholesalers and manufacturing), banks and ATMs, supply of LPG (domestic and commercial), health services ( including movement of staff thereof), manufacturing of health and medical equipment, telecom operators and their designated agencies, newspapers, post offices, loading and unloading of wheat and rice at FCI and state food depots, transportation of essential commodities through National and State Highways (Petrol, Diesel, Kerosene, Milk, Vegetables, Fruits, groceries, FCI supplies, etc.) and provision of electricity, water supply and Municipal and Sanitary Services (including the movement of staff thereof).
