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Question mark over Amarnath Yatra this year

Amarnath Yatra
File pic of Amarnath Yatra

Jammu (NVI): The annual Amarnath Yatra this year looks unlikely because of coronavirus pandemic, a board which conducts the pilgrimage indicated today and added that an “appropriate decision” will be taken in future as the situation is dynamic.

The issue was discussed at a meeting of Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) headed by Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Girish Chandra Murmu.

A press release issued later by the J&K government said the Board expressed its apprehension and held that as on date, it may not be possible to organise the Yatra 2020.

“Due to the current COVID-2019 pandemic situation being dynamic, appropriate decision can be taken on organizing the Yatra on reviewing of the situation in coming future,” the release said.

Earlier, the government issued a press release which said the Yatra had been cancelled for this year.

Minutes later, the government withdrew the order and issued a fresh one, which said an appropriate decision in this regard can be taken “on reviewing of the situation in coming future”.

Kashmir fruit growers worried over lockdown, disruptions in supply chain

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): Despite a massive cherry and strawberry crop yield expected in May, fruit growers in Kashmir are worried over the extended lockdown as it may lead to disruptions in the supply chain.

After suffering huge losses due to the four-month-long clampdown since August 5 last year, Kashmir’s fruit industry has now pinned hopes on this year’s cherry and strawberry crop amid Covid-19 pandemic that is tightening its grip in the Valley.

The farmers are hopeful that the government would find out some mechanism so that cherry and strawberry crop reaches the markets on right time. Last year, tons of apple crop was rotten as it couldn’t reach the outside market on time despite the Market Intervention Scheme launched by the J&K government. Market Intervention Scheme has been introduced to ensure remunerative prices for the perishable Agriculture and Horticulture Crops.

An orchardist from South Kashmir’s Anantnag district said that despite last year’s MIS scheme launched by the government, they suffered losses worth crores as apples didn’t reach the respective markets on time. “There were attacks on truckers also in South Kashmir districts which caused a huge dent to the apple export mechanism. And the J&K government’s much talked about MIS proved a damp squib,” he said. “Under MIS, some farmers received a meager Rs 2000 as compensation, which tantamounts to adding salt to an injury,” he added.

Kashmir Fruit growers Association President Bashir Ahmed Bashir said that this season, a massive cherry and strawberry production is expected in the month of May. “Both are quality fruit. In cherry, we have two special varieties red and yellow Cherry, both are quality varieties. We are also expecting bumper strawberry crop in the month of May amid Ramadan,” he said.

Ahmed said that the ongoing lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic has once again cast a shadow on the prospects of cherry and strawberry crops. “We have serious apprehensions of facing another season of losses as there seems to be no light at the end of tunnel,” he said.

“How can we transport and export cherry and strawberry crops when there is a strict countrywide lockdown. Though there are reports that this lockdown would end on May 3, who knows if pandemic takes an ugly turn. What will happen to our crop,” Ahmed who owns scores of ‘kanals’ (a piece of land) of cherry and strawberry orchards in South Kashmir said.

He said that the Horticulture department should wake up and formulate some strategy so that they are saved from facing losses in the coming months. “Even though local consumption of cherry and strawberry is also good but it’s not to that extent that entire Valley would consume our all produce. Kashmiri strawberry and cherry produce is recognised across India and at times it goes abroad as well,” Ahmed said.

He said that the J&K government must work out some mechanism and ensure that “our production reaches markets on time.” “Let there be door to door delivery in rest of India for Cherry and Strawberry the way they are delivering other fruit and vegetable. Our concern is we should get full support from Horticulture this time. Otherwise, Kashmir’s fruit industry will sink this year,” he said.

General holidays extended till May 5 in Bangladesh as COVID-19 cases spike

(Image source: United News of Bangladesh)

New Delhi (NVI): The Bangladesh government has decided to extend the general holidays till May 5 in a bid to tackle the worsening coronavirus situation in the country.

State Minister of Public Administration Ministry Farhad Hossain, told the media that the holidays will be extended and a notification in this regard will be issued on Thursday.

Earlier, the general holidays in the country have been extended for 4 times after they were first announced on March 23.

In addition to this, the total number of deaths from coronavirus continues to rise in Bangladesh as 10 more people have died in the last 24 hours, taking the total casualties in the country to 120, according to United News of Bangladesh.

Besides, a total number of 390 people tested positive for coronavirus during the period, raising the number of such cases in the country to 3,772.

3 new COVID-19 cases reported in Nepal, tally at 45

New Delhi (NVI): Three new COVID-19 cases have been registered in Nepal today, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 45, local media reports said.

Notably, Nepal has reported zero COVID deaths so far while 7 people have been cured or discharged. At present, the active coronavirus cases in Nepal stand at 38.

According to the country’s Ministry of Health and Population, three new persons, whose samples had been sent to Dharan-based BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS) for Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test, have come out positive, The Himalayan Times reported.

The newspaper reported that the new cases are again from Udayapur, which has now been sealed due to a surge in the number of infections in the district. With today’s addition, 27 active cases hail from the district, the daily reported.

All three COVID-19 patients are currently in quarantine and preparations are going on to transport them to the hospital for treatment.

Meanwhile, 35 patients are currently receiving treatment at various health facilities across the country, while three are in the process of being taken into isolation for treatment, as per media reports.

Pak PM Imran Khan undergoes test for COVID-19; cases cross 10,000-mark

Pakistan
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan

New Delhi (NVI): Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan underwent a test for the novel coronavirus today, days after coming in contact with a well-known philanthropist who was diagnosed positive for COVID-19, according to the Dawn.

Khan had yesterday met Edhi Foundation’s Chairman Faisal Edhi, who later tested positive for the virus.

Meanwhile, the total number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan has reached 10,072 with 212 deaths so far, according to Geo News.

Nearly half of the total confirmed cases are from Punjab province alone, at 4,331.

Looking at the breakdown of cases, the Sindh province has reported 3,373 cases while Balochistan has 495 cases so far. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province has 1,345 cases, Islamabad 194, Gilgit Baltistan 283 and 51 in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).

50 new cases of recovery have been reported from Sindh province taking the total number of recovered cases to around 2,000 in the country.

Pakistan has been under lockdown for over a month now to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Cabinet approves Rs 15,000 crore to combat COVID-19

New Delhi (NVI):  The Union Cabinet today approved significant investment to the tune of Rs 15,000 crore for ‘India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package’ that will help in tackling the coronavirus outbreak in the country and managing overall response at various levels.

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a decision in this regard.

The funds sanctioned will be utilised in 3 Phases and for immediate COVID-19 Emergency Response (an amount of Rs. 7,774 Crore) has been provisioned and rest for medium-term support (1-4 years) to be provided under mission mode approach, the Cabinet said in an official statement.

The key objectives of the package include mounting emergency response to slow and limit virus in India through the development of diagnostics and Covid dedicated treatment facilities, centralized procurement of essential medical equipment and drugs required for treatment of infected patients, strengthen and build resilient national and state health systems to support prevention and preparedness for future disease outbreaks.

The package will also help in setting up of laboratories and bolster surveillance activities, bio-security preparedness, pandemic research and proactively engage communities and conduct risk communication activities. These interventions and initiatives would be implemented under the overall umbrella of the Ministry of Health, the Cabinet said.

In phase one, the Health Ministry with the support of all the other line ministries has already undertaken several activities like additional funds to the tune of Rs 3,000 Crore have been released under the package to State/UTs, for strengthening of existing health facilities as COVID Dedicated Hospitals, Health Center and Care Centers.

“Diagnostics laboratories network has been expanded and our testing capacity increasing every day. In fact, leveraging on the existing multi-disease testing   platforms   under   National   TB Elimination Programme,   orders   for procurement of 13 lakhs diagnostic kits have been placed to augment COVID-19 testing,” the government said in a statement.

Apart from this, all health workers including Community Health Volunteers have been covered with insurance under the “Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package: Insurance Scheme for Health Workers lighting COVID-19”. Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), N95 masks and ventilators, testing kits and drugs for treatment are being procured centrally.

The major share of the expenditure will be used for mounting robust emergency response, strengthening National and State health systems followed by strengthening pandemic research and multi-sector national institutions and platforms for One-Health, community engagement and risk communications and implementation, management, capacity building, monitoring and evaluation component, the Government said.

In addition to this, Ministry of Health has been authorised to re-appropriate resources among components of the package and among the various implementation agencies (National Health Mission, Central Procurement, Railways, Department of Health Research/ICMR, National Centre for Disease Control) as per the evolving emergent situation.

Some herbal beauty tips to make the best of lockdown at home

Representational Image

New Delhi (NVI): Lockdown might sound like a long, boring and stressful time. But it is also the perfect opportunity to detox, or upgrade your beauty routine to make working from home a transformative period by exploring new makeup trends and improve your skincare routine in extra time, according to internationally acclaimed beauty expert Shahnaz Hussain.

Being at home means you will have more time on your hands with nowhere to go or people to meet. In fact, it’s a good time now to catch up with your beauty needs and practise more self-care, says Shahnaz.

With limited exposure to the sun, pollution, dust and grime this is the perfect time to whip up some home remedies and concoctions for your skin even if you can not go to parlour, she says.

“Since the times have changed and the global community is under self quarantine, one should aim at looking the best and feeling beautiful in personal space and try to stay productive, healthy and in high spirits while observing social distancing,” she added.

The beauty icon has shared some herbal beauty tips which can be used for taking care of your skin while you are in lockdown:

Make an avocado face mask-

Homemade avocado face mask is among the best natural face mask that nourishes the face with non-greasy moisture and revitalizes the skin.

Apply Sunscreen-  

Sunscreen should be applied every day to exposed skin and not only specifically at times when one is going to be in the sun.  During Lockdown, people can apply sunscreen on the areas not covered by clothes. Sunscreens can be applied under makeup. Sun protection is the principal means of preventing premature aging.

Avoid Heat Hair Tools-

Another thing that you can avoid for the next few weeks is using heated hair tools, such as blow dryers, curling irons, tongs, straighteners and allow hair to dry naturally. The heat styling tools can cause breakage, damage and drying.

Moisturise Hands-

We’re all washing our hands much more often which leads to a lot more hand eczema cases. All that washing and hand sanitizer dries out the skin. Many people are experiencing cracked and chapped hands due to excessive washing of hands time and again as matter of precaution or tension. In such a case, coconut oil can be used as a moisturizer.

Have a Luxury Bath-

Try bath additives. Some additives can remove fatigue, while others replace oils, or relieve itching. Select one according to the needs. A bath can make the body soft, smooth and perfumed.

Some bath additives which can be used are Honey, vinegar, almond oil and eau de cologne.

You can also have an organic pedicure, using natural oils and extracts using a nail brush, pumice stone or a heel scrubber, nail clippers, emery board, cotton wool, cotton buds, massage cream, polish remover, nail polish and a small tub for soaking the feet.

Minor Hindu girl abducted, forcibly married in Pakistan

New Delhi (NVI): Abduction of Hindu girls and their forcible marriage with their kidnappers continues in Pakistan, with the latest incident being reported from Sindh Province.

In the fresh case, a 40-year-old Muslim man abducted a 14-year-old Hindu girl in Chundiko in Sindh and married her forcibly, but not before converting her to Islam, according to a media report in Pakistan.

The abductor, Mohammad Aachar Darejo, got himself photographed with the minor girl. The picture also showed him and the girl displaying an alleged ‘nikah-nama’.

The photo has been doing the rounds on social media where users have condemned the incident and called on the authorities to hold an inquiry, reported Naya Daur.

The report said that in last year alone, more than 41 Hindu girls were kidnapped and converted to Islam by force.

Around 1,000 cases of Hindu and Christian girls being forced to convert were estimated in the province of southern Sindh alone in 2018, according to the annual report of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.

Tragically, such incidents are continuing with impunity despite Sindh Province having a law banning child marriage. ‘The Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act’ of 2014 makes marriage below the age of 18 years, for both boys and girls, a punishable offence but there is no implementation of this law.

An estimated 4.5 million Hindus live in Pakistan, majority of them in Sindh, and they continue to face oppression and torture, including the form of rapes and forcible marriage.

Every year, thousands of Hindu and Christian girls and young women are kidnapped by Muslims in Pakistan and forcibly married. In many cases, the abductor-cum-grooms are elderly people, marrying minor girls.

And while these forced conversions have been going on for decades, a recent surge in reported cases has brought the issue back into the limelight, the Naya Daur report said.

“Some day coronavirus will end but this virus will always stay in Pakistan. 14-year-old Hindu girl, abducted, forcibly converted to Islam and marrited to her 40-year-old abductor in Chundiko area of Sindh,” Pakistani journalist Nailya Inayat tweeted.

“Chundiko Sindh, one 14 years old Hindu Girl suthi Oad have been abducted and later been forcedly converted and married to 40 years old Mohammad Aachar darejo. This is utterly ridiculous and condemned. However corona will end but this injustice will remain same in Pakistan,” tweeted netizen Shahzad Hussain.

Attack on doctors: IMA withdraws planned protest after assurance from Amit Shah

New Delhi (NVI): The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has withdrawn a proposed symbolic protest over attack on doctors in some parts of the country after Union Home Minister Amit Shah today assured them of their security in the fight against COVID-19.

The Home Minister, along with Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan today interacted with doctors and senior representatives of the IMA, through a video conference here.

The Home Minister appreciated the role of doctors in general and particularly in the fight against Coronavirus and expressed confidence that doctors would continue to work dedicatedly in this fight, as they have been doing till now, the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement.

While condemning the recent attacks on health professionals, Shah assured them that the Modi government would leave no stone unturned in ensuring their wellbeing and security.

He said that PM is closely following all issues and concerns of doctors. All necessary arrangements would be put in place to prevent such incidents in future, he said. He appealed to doctors not to do even a symbolic protest as proposed by them, as it is not in national or global interest, the Home Ministry said in a statement.

“Considering the immediate high level response from the Union government and assurance given by the Union Home and Health Ministers, the IMA has withdrawn the proposed protest to maintain the fight against COVID-19 in an uninterrupted manner,” the statement read.

Union Health Secretary, Home Secretary, senior doctors and NITI Aayog representative were also present on the occasion.

Jhansi smart city project among several contracts bagged by L&T

New Delhi (NVI): Construction major Larsen and Toubro (L&T) has won contracts worth hundreds of crores across the country, including Jhansi smart city project and manufacture and supply of heavy material handling equipment for BHEL, according to the company’s officials.

The company has “bagged a smart city project for design, supply, installation, testing and commissioning with five-year comprehensive operation and maintenance of an Integrated Command and Control Centre in Jhansi,” the official said.

“The vision of this project is to empower Jhansi, the land of Great Veerangana-Rani Laxmi Bai to embark on a journey towards sustainable development while conserving its glorious culture and heritage,” the company said in a statement.

The scope of work involves deployment of an Integrated Command and Control Centre, Intelligent Traffic Management System, City Surveillance, City Wi-Fi, technology-enabled Solid Waste Management, GIS, Citizen Portal and e-Office Applications, it said.

The company further said that it has secured an order from BHEL to manufacture and supply heavy material handling equipment with high end automation for its (5X800 MW) Thermal Power Plant at Yadadri, Telangana.

It has also bagged an order from M/s Birla Copper, a unit of Hindalco Ltd. to revamp its Copper Smelter complex at Dahej, Gujarat. The scope of work includes assessment, re-engineering, refurbishment of operating plant facilities.

Among the other contracts, L&T has secured an order from the State Project Management Unit, Government of West Bengal, for flood protection works and embankment strengthening of Damodar river in Purba Bardhhaman and Hooghly districts, using sheet piles and Bullah piles.

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