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J&K to get Anti Narcotics Task Force soon

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): The Jammu and Kashmir administration, led by Lieutenant Governor GC Murmu, today accorded sanction to set up first-ever Anti Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) in the UT to tackle the menace of drug abuse and drug trafficking.

J&K Home Department issued an order to announce the setting up of the ANTF.

The order read that the sanction has been accorded to set up Anti Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) under the overall superintendence and control of the Inspector General of Police, Crime, Jammu and Kashmir.

The Home Department has also created one post of Superintendent of Police, two posts of Deputy Superintendents of Police, nine posts of Inspectors, eighteen posts of Sub Inspectors, eighteen posts of Assistant Sub Inspectors and fifty-two posts of selection grade constables and constables, who will all be part of ANTF.

The Home Department in its order has further stated that it shall be ensured that 50 per cent of Sub Inspectors to be posted to the new force shall be direct recruits.

A police spokesman said that J&K DGP Dilbagh Singh has thanked LG Murmu for the creation of ANTF on the police proposal, stating that the Force will help in fighting the drug menace in the UT.

“This will be yet another special wing within the police department to deal with the crimes related to drugs and their trafficking,” the spokesman said in a statement.

India committed to maintain peace on border with China: MEA on LAC face-off

Representational Image

New Delhi (NVI): India today said that it remains committed to the objective of maintaining peace and tranquility in the India-China border areas, days after face-offs between Indian and Chinese soldiers.

MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said that such face-offs could have been avoided if both sides had a common perception of LAC (Line of Actual Control).

“Occasionally however on account of difference in perception of the alignment of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), situations have arisen on the ground that could have been avoided if we had a common perception of the LAC,” he said.

To recall, Indian and Chinese troops clashed with each other on May 5 in Pangong Tso area in Eastern Ladakh.

There was a similar face-off four days later near Naku La pass in North Sikkim. Some soldiers from both sides had sustained minor injuries in the clash.

Responding to media queries on the developments on LAC, the MEA spokesperson also referred to the informal summits between Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Wuhan (2018) and in Chennai (2019).

He said that the two leaders had reaffirmed that both sides will continue to make efforts to ensure peace and tranquility in the border areas. “This is essential for the overall development of the bilateral relations,” he added.

“The two leaders had also directed their militaries to earnestly implement various confidence building measures agreed upon between the two sides, including the principle of mutual and equal security, and strengthen existing institutional arrangements and information sharing mechanisms to prevent incidents in border regions. As a result, India-China border has largely been peaceful,” Srivastava said.

The MEA spokesman added that the two sides have established mechanisms to resolve such situations as and when they arise including Border Personnel Meeting, Flag Meetings, and Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs as well as diplomatic channels.

Indian and Chinese soldiers have clashed with each other in the past as well. In 2017, Indian and Chinese troops were locked in a 73-day standoff in Doklam after the Indian side stopped the construction of a road in the disputed area by the Chinese Army.

Pregnant woman among 12 new Covid cases in J&K, tally at 983

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): A pregnant woman is among 12 people who tested positive for the novel Coronavirus in Jammu and Kashmir today, taking the total number of cases in the UT to 983, officials said.

They said that among the new 12 cases, nine tested positive in Kashmir and three in Jammu division. The officials said that five cases were tested positive at SKIMS, four at Lal Path Lab and three at Government Medical College Jammu.

The officials said that new positive cases include a 25-year-old pregnant lady from Handwara area of north Kashmir, who had visited SDH Sopore for gynecological consultation, a few days before where her samples were taken.

The government said that 19 patients, who were earlier tested positive, were discharged from various hospitals. Of the total 983 cases in J&K, 882 are from Kashmir and 101 from Jammu region.

The Bulletin further said that out of 63,515 test results available, 62,532 samples have tested as negative till May 14, 2020.

Besides, till date, 10,3290 travellers and persons in contact with suspected cases have been enlisted for surveillance which included 26,603 persons in home quarantine, including facilities operated by government, 152 in hospital quarantine, 487 in hospital isolation and 12,383 under home surveillance. Besides, 63,654 persons have completed their surveillance period.

Providing district-wise breakup, the bulletin said that Bandipora has 134 positive cases with 16 active cases, 117 recovered (including 09 recoveries today), 1 death; Srinagar has 142 positive cases (including 05 reported today) with 54 active, 84 recovered, 4 deaths; Anantnag district has 145 positive cases with 121 positive cases, 23 recovered (including 06 recoveries today), 1 death; Baramulla has 110 positive cases with 50 active, 57 recovered, 3 deaths; Shopian has 107 positive cases (including 2 new cases reported today) with 47 active cases, 60 recovered.

Kupwara has 83 positive cases with 38 active, 45 recovered; Budgam has 52 positive cases with 34 active and 18 recovered cases (including 4 recoveries today); Ganderbal has 23 positive cases with 9 active cases and 14 recoveries; Kulgam has 72 positive cases with 66 active and  6 recoveries; Pulwama has 14 positive cases (including 1 case reported today) with 10 active, 4 recovered.

In Jammu region, district Jammu has 38 positive cases with 11 active cases and 26 recoveries and 1 death; Udhampur has 23 positive cases (including 1 reported today) with 3 active cases, 19 recovered and 1 death; Samba has 11 positive cases with 7 active and 4 recoveries; Rajouri has 4 positive cases who all have recovered; Kathua has 17 positive cases with 16 active and 1 recovered; Kishtwar had only 1 positive case who has recovered; Ramban has 4 positive cases (including 3 reported today) with 3 active and 1 recovered while Reasi has 3 positive cases with 2 active cases and 1 recovered today.

The Bulletin said that the breakup represents districts from which the patients have been traced or are ordinarily residing.

As per the bulletin, the public in general has been informed that smokers are at higher risk of COVID-19 infection. “Stop smoking now; the act of smoking means that fingers (and possibly contaminated cigarettes) are in contact with lips which increase the possibility of transmission of virus from hand to mouth, smokers may also already have lung disease or reduced lung capacity which would greatly increase risk of serious illness, smoking products such as water pipes often involve the sharing of mouthpieces and hoses, which could facilitate the transmission of COVID-19 and conditions that increase oxygen needs or reduce the ability of the body to use it properly will put patients at higher risk of serious lung conditions such as pneumonia,” the bulletin said.

“The best way to protect yourself against COVID-19 is by maintaining physical distance of at least 2 metre from others and frequently cleaning your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water”, it read.

413 new COVID-19 cases in Afghanistan, tally hits 5,639

Representational Image (Credit: TOLO News)

New Delhi (NVI): At least 413 new coronavirus cases have been reported in Afghanistan in the past 24 hours, taking the tally of total Covid-19 cases to 5,639 across the country, according to Afghan media reports.

Among the new cases, 188 have been reported in Kabul, 34 in Kandahar, 35 in Ghazni, 30 in Nangarhar, 24 in Balkh, 25 in Baghlan, 20 in Samangan, 15 in Paktia, 9 in Wardak, 7 in Logar, 5 in Nimruz, 5 in Laghman, 2 in Panjshir, 1 in Faryab, 3 in Zabul, 4 in Paktika, 5 in Sar-e-Pul and 1 in Nuristan.

Meanwhile, Afghan capital Kabul is still one of the worst hotspots for COVID-19.

In the past 24 hours, four people have died, bringing the death toll to 136, as per media reports.

Over 19,732 samples have been tested so far, which analysts say is too low a number when compared to the country’s population.

So far, 691 patients have been cured or discharged across the country.

Vande Bharat II: 149 flights to bring back Indians stuck in 31 countries from May 16

Representational Image

New Delhi (NVI): 149 flights will be operated to bring back Indians from 31 countries under the second phase of Government’s Vande Bharat mission from May 16-22, the Ministry of External Affairs said today.

The 149 flights will also include feeder flights, MEA spokesperson said, adding that an additional 18 countries have been covered under the second phase including Indonesia, Thailand, Australia, Italy, France, Germany, Ireland, Canada, Japan, Nigeria, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, Georgia, Tajikistan and Armenia.

State-run carrier Air India has started bookings for these flights from today.

“As you can see, we are broadening the ambit every week in a phased manner keeping with our quarantine capacity, health protocols, etc. Till now 188,646 Indian nationals have registered to return on the portal,” the MEA spokesperson said.

The entire flight list can be checked on the website of Vande Bharat Mission.

Vande Bharat Mission, which was launched on May 7, reached its eighth day and 56 flights have been operated to bring back Indian nationals from 12 countries.

In addition to this, 904 Indians have been repatriated from Maldives by Indian Navy ships INS Jalashwa and INS Magar on 10th May and 12th May respectively, under ‘Mission Sagar’. Some others have arrived through deportation flights from various countries. In the last few days, more than 12000 Indian nationals have safely returned, the MEA spokesperson said.

Giving further details for Mission Sagar, the MEA spokesperson said that the Government has sent Indian naval ships Kesari to Maldives, Mauritius, Madagascar, Comoros and Seychelles.

“This ship has been sent in response to the request for assistance from these countries. It carries on board two medical assistance teams, consignment of Covid related essential medicines and essential food items. This is inspired by PM’s vision of Sagar – security and growth for all in the region. This is also in keeping with India’s role as a first responder in the region,” he said.

As of date, INS Kesari which departed India on 10th May is presently docked at Male. Currently, the 550 tonnes of essential food items sent on board area being offloaded, he added.

Coronavirus may ‘never go away’: WHO

New Delhi (NVI): A leading World Health Organisation (WHO) official has said that coronavirus “may never go away” and could become endemic.

During a virtual press briefing in Geneva yesterday, WHO Emergencies Director Michael Ryan said that coronavirus may become just another endemic virus and people will have to learn with it.

Ryan also cited HIV, saying that it has not gone away but the world has come to terms with the virus.

“This virus just may become another endemic virus in our communities. HIV hasn’t gone away – but we have come to terms with the virus,” Ryan said.

“I’m not comparing the two diseases but I think it is important that we’re realistic. I don’t think anyone can predict when or if this disease will disappear,” he added.

Although multiple teams of scientists around the world are currently working on more than 100 potential vaccines, there are other diseases, like measles, that still haven’t been eliminated despite developing vaccines for them.

The Emergencies Director also condemned the attacks on healthcare workers, saying over 35 “quite serious” episodes were recorded in April in 11 countries. “Covid-19 is bringing out the best in us, but it’s also bringing out some of the worst,” he added.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated, “We should all contribute to stop this pandemic.”

However, during the briefing, WHO infectious disease epidemiologist Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove sounded positive and said that the “trajectory of this outbreak” is in our hands.

The coronavirus contagion has so far claimed the lives of nearly 3,00,000 and infected more than 4.3 million around the globe.

Coronavirus cases reach 18,663 in Bangladesh; 283 dead

Bangladesh lockdown

New Delhi (NVI): The total number of coronavirus infections in Bangladesh rose to 18,663  after 1,041 new infections were reported in the last 24 hours.

The total number of deaths from coronavirus continues to rise as 14 more people died during the period, taking the total casualties in the country to 283, according to United News of Bangladesh.

As of now, the recovery rate against the number of infections in the country is 19.10 per cent while the death rate is 1.5 per cent.

Meanwhile, 482 people have been repatriated from India by the Bangladesh government today on three separate flights.

A special flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines brought back 149 people from New Delhi while 165 Bangladesh nationals returned home from Chennai by a special flight of US-Bangla Airlines.

Coronavirus cases climb to 246 in Nepal

New Delhi (NVI): The total number of coronavirus cases have increased to 246 in Nepal with one new case being reported today, according to the local media reports.

The country’s Ministry of Health and Population said that the new case was confirmed through a PCR test conducted at the laboratory of Bharatpur Hospital in Chitwan district, The Himalayan Times reported.

The infected person is a 49-year-old male from Devchuli Municipality-12 in Nawalparasi (Bardaghat Susta East).

At present, the infected person has only come in contact with the health workers.

Earlier today, a 32-year-old male from Kathmandu and a 6-year-old girl from Kapilvastu were confirmed to have contracted the contagion, taking the count to 245.

Currently, 211 people are undergoing treatment at various hospitals in the country while 35 have completely recovered from the virus.

COVID-19 cases surge past 36,000 in Pakistan; death toll at 788

(Image source: Dawn.com)

New Delhi (NVI): The total number of positive coronavirus in Pakistan has increased by more than a thousand cases, taking the overall tally to 36,717 with at least 788 fatalities recorded so far.

Looking at the breakdown of cases, Sindh province has reported 14,099 coronavirus cases, highest among all the provinces, while Punjab has 13,561 positive cases.

On the other hand, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has recorded 5,423 cases, Balochistan is at 2,239, Gilgit-Baltistan at 482, Islamabad at 822 and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is at 91 cases so far, according to Geo News.

Meanwhile, the Sindh government has decided to set up six hospitals for the infectious disease across the province.

Nearly 8,000 people have recovered from the coronavirus so far.

President to take 30% salary cut to aid Covid-19 fight, reduce expenses

New Delhi (NVI): President Ram Nath Kovind today said that he has decided to forego 30 percent of his salary for a year, as a part of steps to make more resources available for Covid-19 relief measures.

Besides, President Kovind also announced some austerity measures towards reducing expenditure of Rashtrapati Bhavan in this fiscal year.

The President had also contributed his one month’s salary to PM-CARES Fund in March.

“The President has given instructions to the Rashtrapati Bhavan to set an example by economising the expenditure, making optimal usage of resources, and dovetailing the saved money to combat Covid-19 and mitigate the people’s economic plight,” the Rashtrapati Bhavan said in a communique today.

“In the President’s estimation, this will be a small but significant contribution to realise the government’s vision of making India self-reliant (Atmanirbhar) and energise the nation to take up the challenge to fight the pandemic and continue our journey for development and prosperity simultaneously,” the statement read.

In order to reduce its expenditure, the Rashtrapati Bhavan has decided that no new capital works will be taken up in Financial year 2020-21. Only the ongoing works will be completed.

The repair and maintenance work will be minimised to only ensure proper upkeep of assets, according to the statement.

There will be substantial reduction in the use of office consumables. For instance, the Rashtrapati Bhavan will use e-technology to cut down the use of paper to avoid wastage and make the office eco-friendly. Efforts will be made to save energy and fuel by rationalising their usage, the communique said.

Apart from this, the President has decided to defer purchase of the Presidential Limousine which was to be used for ceremonial occasions. The existing resources of the Rashtrapati Bhavan and the government will be shared and used for such occasions, said the communique.

The domestic tours and programmes will be substantially reduced in order to follow the social distancing restrictions and minimise the expenditure that such exercises entail. Instead, the President will largely rely on technology to reach out to people.

In addition to this, the consumption during ceremonial occasions such as At-Home ceremonies and state banquets will be minimised by taking measures like:

* Keeping smaller guest lists to maintain social distance

* Lesser usage of flowers and other items for decoration on such occasions

* Reducing the food menu to the extent possible.

According to the communique, it is estimated that these measures will save nearly 20 per cent of the budget of the Rashtrapati Bhavan in the current financial year.

However, it will be ensured that such austerity measures would have no adverse impact on support given to outsourced/contractual workers. “Other activities taken up by the Rashtrapati Bhavan for the welfare of poor people will not be affected either,” the release added.

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