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J&K: Cop injured in Srinagar grenade attack

Representational Image

Mubashir Bukhari

Srinagar (NVI): A day after two militants and a CRPF jawan were killed in Srinagar outskirts, suspected militants today lobbed a grenade at a police station in Lal Bazaar area of old Srinagar in which one policeman suffered injuries.

According to reports, the militants threw a grenade inside the police station at Lal Bazaar area of old Srinagar, in which one policeman suffered injuries.

Soon after the incident, the forces cordoned off the area and search is on to nab the culprits.

In a similar incident on Sunday, militants had lobbed a grenade inside Pratap Park in Lal Chowk Srinagar at a CRPF patrol party in which two CRPF men and seven civilians sustained injuries.

Yesterday, J&K DGP Dilbagh Singh held a press conference on the overall security situation in Kashmir, in which he mentioned about the efforts underway to identify and arrest those behind Sunday attack.

India’s childhood cancer survival rate leaps to 80%

Professor Vaskar Saha

New Delhi (NVI): The bare-walled, seemingly paperless office of Professor Vaskar Saha at the Tata Medical Centre (TMC) in Kolkata belies the amount of work Professor Saha has undertaken since embarking on an Anglo-Indian project, to cure children from the most common type of childhood cancer.

Work led by Professor Saha, a paediatrician from the University of Manchester, shows that around 80% of children with the most common childhood cancer are now likely to survive following treatment at major centres across India, thanks to his revolutionary approach.

Initially, Saha’s research at the University of Manchester has helped increase survival rates among children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) by 10% in the United Kingdom.

Vaskar Saha, a global expert on the disease, has helped cure children diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) by 15% during the past five years in which he has led the ICICLE (Indian Childhood Collaborative Leukaemia Group) clinical project, in partnership with Tata Medical Centre, Kolkata.

With survival rates up from 60% to 90% in the West, the challenge was to bring about similar improvements in other parts of the world. It was a challenge that brought Saha to India.

Around 4,000 families across India have benefited from better treatment, thanks to systems and protocols he brought with him from Manchester and shared with other hospitals across the country.

“I wanted to see if the science as applied in the NHS and Europe could also be applied to help children in less developed countries have the same opportunities for surviving,” Saha explains.

Survival rates of most cancer patients in India are usually 15-25% lower than the United Kingdom. However, with Professor Saha’s work challenging the stereotype that cancer cure is a prerogative of affluent nations, his research has increased survival rates in Kolkata from 65% in 2014 to 80% in 2019.

Vaskar Saha said, “In the UK, 450 children are diagnosed annually with ALL, of which 400 will survive. In India, 9,000 of the 15,000 children diagnosed annually will survive. Not so long ago, four in ten Indian children would die because of poor treatment and relapse. The former was mainly due to the absence of standardisation in testing and treatment.”

“If we can improve outcomes in India by 10%, then an additional 1,500 children a year grow up to lead normal lives,” Vaskar added.

Transferring his knowledge to help raise standards of care in the developing world, Professor Saha will soon be facilitating other self-sustaining centres in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Chandigarh.

Cold wave conditions prevail over north India; Delhi temperature drops

cold
File photo

New Delhi (NVI): Although spring season is slowly knocking on the door, cold wave still continues to reign across several parts of north India, keeping people indoors.

Apart from the snow-clad regions of Jammu Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, there are at least ten places in north India plains where the temperature was recorded below 8 degrees celsius.

The coldest among them is Amritsar in Punjab where minimum temperature was recorded at 2.3 degrees celsius, according to SkymetWeather.

It was followed by Churu in Rajasthan, known for its bone-rattling cold, which recorded a minimum temperature of 3.7 degrees celsius.

Apart from this, Karnal and Narnaul in Haryana recorded 4.0 degrees Celsius each. Hisar also shivered at 4.7degrees celsius. Rohtak witnessed a minimum temperature of 5.0 degrees celsius.

Sriganganagar in Rajasthan saw a minimum temperature of 5.0 degrees celsius.

In UP’s Fursatganj, the mercury settled at 5.4 degrees celsius.

Punjab’s Ludhiana and Patiala recorded a minimum temperature of 5.6 degrees and 6.0 degrees respectively, as per Skymet weather.

The cold Himalayan winds which sweep across most of north India have maintained the chill in many plain areas in these states, even as February marks the start of spring.

Meanwhile, national capital region Delhi and NCR region also shiver due to the cold wave as the minimum temperature dropped to 6.3 degrees from 6.5 degrees Celsius recorded yesterday.

The maximum temperature today is expected to be around 22.0 degrees Celsius, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Some parts of north India like Punjab and Haryana also witnessed Dense fog in isolated parts.

The IMD has also predicted that due to confluence between easterly winds from the Bay of Bengal and westerly winds at lower tropospheric levels, scattered to fairly widespread rainfall is expected over East India and over central India from February 6 to 8.

The weatherman has forecast that there is no significant change in minimum and maximum temperatures over the country during the next two to three days.

“The shallow to moderate fog is expected likely over northeast India,” it added.

The overall air quality in the national capital today is in “poor” category.

According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the Air Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital stood at 249 which falls in the ”poor” category.

Nirbhaya: Delhi HC dismisses Centre’s plea

New Delhi (NVI): Delhi High Court today dismissed the Centre’s plea challenging a trial court order which had stayed the execution of all four death row convicts in the Nirbhaya case.

The Court observed that all four convicts in the Nirbhaya gang-rape should be hanged together, not separately. The Court also gave all the convicts one week’s time to seek their legal remedies.

While pronouncing the order, Justice Suresh Kait said that all the four convicts have to be executed together and not separately. “I hereby direct them to file any application they want within a week after which authorities should act,” he added.

The order was passed on a petition filed by the Central government challenging trial court order which had stayed the execution of all four convicts.

The execution of four convicts– Vinay Sharma, Akshay Thakur, Mukesh Singh, Pawan Gupta– was scheduled to take place on February 1.

On December 16, 2012, a 23-year-old woman was gang-raped and assaulted inside a moving bus in South Delhi by six persons, before being thrown out on the road. She later died on December 29, 2012, at a hospital in Singapore.

J&K Govt fully prepared to tackle coronavirus: Atal Dullo

File Photo: Atal Dulloo

Jammu (NVI): Health and Medical Education Department Financial Commissioner Atal Dulloo today said that there is no need to panic about the novel coronavirus as the health machinery in Jammu and Kashmir is fully geared up to tackle the threat.

He said that there is no confirmed case of the virus infection, so far, in the Union Territory of J&K and all the samples taken have been tested as negative.

The FC said that the government is vigilant and taking regular updates on the situation and requested the people not to panic due to this deadly virus. “The administration is completely alert and making all preventive measures towards ensuring safety of the people”, he maintained.

He said that adequate arrangements have been made at the government-run hospitals to face any such eventuality. He said that isolation wards have been kept at the hospitals where a team of doctors and paramedics have been deployed to observe people with the symptoms.

The FC further said that proper protocol is being followed as suggested by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and samples are being taken of the people who come from China or other virus affected countries.

He said that hoardings have also been placed at the airports and other places educating people about the virus besides helpline numbers have also been made available at these locations.  However, he advised for maintaining basic hand and personal hygiene as a precautionary measure.

J&K approves formation of Employees State Insurance Society

Jammu (NVI): In a significant move aimed at promoting the welfare of the employees/workforce in Jammu and Kashmir, the UT administrative council today accorded sanction to the formation of J&K Employees Insurance Society under Employees Insurance Act 1948.

The decision was taken by the council today which met under the chairmanship of Lieutenant Governor GC Murmu.

After registration, the Society will serve as a managerial and health care body to provide for effective administration and management of insurance health facilities and insurance benefits to around 2.95 lakh insured persons under the Employees Insurance Scheme. The decision will also help to enhance the number of insured persons to nearly 6 lakh persons.

The Society will have the mandate to formulate policies for code of conduct, capacity building and other training programmes for medical/para-medical staff. Besides, it shall undertake measures to generate awareness among the employers and the employees so that more and more employees/workers can be brought under the Scheme. Apart from this, the Society will be a self-reliant body in terms of staff as it will be able to hire the staff as per requirement.

The scheme is being implemented by the Employees Insurance Corporation through the Labour Department covering industrial workers and their families, other establishments like shops, hotels, restaurants, transport and newspaper, cinemas, educational institutions (public, private, aided) run by individuals, trustees, societies, private hospitals, nursing homes etc.

After the registration of the Society, the Employees Insurance Corporation (EIC) will shift from treasury model to Society model thereby, not only easing the process of seeking funds from the Government of India but increase in the inflow of funds which will not be lapsable. The Corporation will be better equipped to purchase standard quality medicines for insured persons and will pave way for opening up of new dispensaries across J&K.

With today’s decision, the existing 8 dispensaries of Employees Insurance Corporation at Rangreth, Khonmoh, Bagh-i-Ali Mardan Khan, Zainakote in Kashmir and Talab Tilo, Kathua, Bari Brahmana and Digiana in Jammu will get further strengthened in terms of staff and equipment thereby enabling these dispensaries to provide better healthcare services.

Video conferencing facility started in J&K, Ladakh UT courts

Jammu (NVI): The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has started holding trials for criminal cases in the courts of the two newly formed Union Territories of J&K, and Ladakh through video conferencing.

The use of technology help in hearing of cases where the accused are lodged in jails and because of weather vagaries or for reason of law and order situation, cannot be produced in the Court. The proceedings are conducted through electronic video linkage between the Court and the jail.

So far, video conferencing between the courts and the jails was being mainly used for conducting remand proceedings vis-à-vis the accused, who are lodged in jails and with the addition of its use in the trial of the cases, a new dimension has been added to the use of technology in the court processes.

Video-conferencing facilities also equip the courts in UTs of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh with the capacity to receive evidence and submissions from witnesses or persons involved in court proceedings in circumstances where it would be expensive, inconvenient or otherwise not desirable for a person to attend a court in person.

An over-riding factor is that the use of video-conferencing in any particular case must be consistent with furthering the interests of justice and should cause minimal disadvantage to the parties.

There are various putative advantages of using video conferencing in the dispensation of justice. It has been observed that one of the reasons of delay in disposal of criminal cases is that the accused who are lodged in jails are not being produced in the Courts regularly for multiple reasons such as non-availability of police guard, non-availability of transportation facility, law and order problem, etc.

This delay will be greatly cut by using video conferencing facility between the Courts and the Jails. In addition to this, there always remains a chance of mischief when the accused are being transported from jail to the Court concerned and use of VC will negate that chance. In some sensitive cases, the accused are also vulnerable to attack and this vulnerability can be taken care of by the use of VC.

Another advantage of the use of VC is that the expenses incurred by the State exchequer in the transportation of the accused to the Courts will be cut especially in cases where the accused are to be brought from far off places. Also, the unnecessary footfall in the Courts can be greatly reduced by the use of VC because it has been observed that whenever an accused is physically produced from jail into the Court, he/she is escorted by a number of policemen and his relatives also come to the court to meet the accused. This greatly increases congestion in the Courts. Video Conferencing facility also enables the court to record evidence of experts and also witnesses who reside abroad without incurring the enormous cost of bringing them to the trial Court.

As of now, all the court complexes of the UTs of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh have been provided Video Conferencing facility. Similarly, all the Jails of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir are also equipped with Video Conferencing equipment with MPLS connectivity. On a daily basis, the number of remands are being granted and trials are being conducted through electronic Video linkage between Courts and Jails of UTs of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

Very recently, the trail of a criminal case could be completed through video conferencing at Camp Court Panamik, Nobra (Leh) which was pending due to non-production of an official witness by the prosecution who was resident of an area located hundreds of kilometres away from Camp Court Panamik Leh.

Similarly, while making optimum use of video conferencing facility Principal Sessions Judges of Rajouri, Ramba, Shopian, Kishtwar, Samba, Anantnag and NIA Special Court Jammu have taken lead in conducting trail through electronic video linkage.

In addition, the court in UTs of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are granting remands through the medium of electronic video linkage, which has now become a regular feature.

Around 20 militants eliminated in Kashmir this year: J&K DGP

Mubashir Bukhari

Srinagar (NVI): J&K DGP Dilbagh Singh today said that around 20 militants have been eliminated this year in Jammu and Kashmir while asserting that some terror modules are still active in Srinagar who show their presence by targeting security establishments.

In a joint presser with Inspector General of Police (IGP), Vijay Kumar, IGP and DG CRPF, Zulfiqar Hasan, the DGP said that this year many successful anti-militancy operations were carried out and many militant modules were busted.

“Different modules were busted in this year till now. Today’s operation was a part of an alert. The city population is always on the target of militants,” the DGP told reporters.

The J&K top cop was referring to an encounter on the outskirts of Srinagar today in which two militants were killed while one CRPF jawan also lost his life.

He also said the J&K Police wishes this summer to be peaceful. “We are hoping that this summer will be different and law and order situation improves,” he said.

DGP Singh also said that VPNs are misused in Kashmir. “We resumed 2G Internet services bur VPNs ruined it. When a truck carrying Jaish militants at Nagrota Jammu was intercepted, the trucker had sent pictures of encounter to Pakistan as a matter of evidence using VPN,” he said.

The DGP also said the forces were on alert to “respond to the grenade throwers.”

“City population and security establishment are always on the target of militants. Even after busting many of their modules, some are still left, which became evident after Pratap park incident,” he said

The DGP said the police has got some clues to work on after the Pratap park incident. “As a countermeasure, police and security forces are alert. We will quickly reach to grenade throwers and arrest them,” he said.

Singh said the investigation over grenade throwing module suggested that “these operatives were connected to Jaish-e-Mohammad militant outfit operating from Tral in south Kashmir.”

“The five Jaish operatives who were caught last month were connected to Qari Yasir, Jaish provincial commander who was killed in Gulshanpora tral last month. The IED making material and readymade suicide vests suggested that they were conspiring some suicide attack-type of January 26,” he said.

Giving details on today’s gunfight, Singh said that in city outskirts on Srinagar-Baramulla highway, a special party of CRPF was fired by militants who were riding two-wheelers in which two militants and a CRPF man got killed.

He said the third militant, who was injured in a shootout is being treated. One slain militant was identified as Zia-ul-Rehman of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant group. He hails from Budgam district of Kashmir.

Another slain militant has been identified as Khatib, a resident of Bhijbehara area of south Kashmir. He is affiliated with Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) militant group. The third militant who was caught alive has been identified Fayaz Omar, a Srinagar resident and is affiliated to JKIS.

“A large quantity of arms and ammunition including two pistols and grenades were recovered from them,” DGP said.

He said there was a heavy rush on the highway but security forces maintained great caution to ensure there was no collateral damage.

CRPF DG Zulfiqar Hasan said that they had inputs that militants were planning to attack forces today. “A scooter came from Baramulla carrying three people. They were stopped as they were not wearing helmets. When they were cracked down by a constable of CRPF, one of the persons got down immediately and took out his pistol and attacked and started firing. One jawan was hit on the head and he succumbed. Two militants were killed on the spot and the third one was also shot and was shifted to hospital,” Hassan said.

India aims for $5 bn defence export in next 5 yrs: PM at DefExpo

Lucknow (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asserted his government’s resolve to take giant strides towards establishing India as a leading defence manufacturer while saying that country is eyeing defence export by 5 billion dollars in next five years.

The Prime Minister, while inaugurating the 11th edition of DefExpo here, highlighted the measures taken by the government to boost manufacturing in the defence sector and woo investors to set up a base in the country.

He said Uttar Pradesh is set to become one of the biggest hubs of Defence manufacturing.

“Now our aim is that in the coming five years, we grow the defence export to five million dollars, that is around 35,000 crore rupees,” the PM said at the event which will go on for three more days till February 8.

PM Modi said that a country of the size of India cannot entirely depend on imports and added that the number of defence licenses issued in the last five years has risen to 460 from 210 in 2014.

“Be it artillery guns, artillery aircraft, frigates, submarines, light combat aircraft, combat helicopters…many such defence systems are being manufactured in India today,” he said.

The PM further said that India is not only a major market globally but a vast opportunity for the world as well. He said that lack of policy initiatives in this (defence manufacturing) direction in the last several decades led to India becoming the biggest importer of defence platforms.

“This time maximum number of Defence manufacturers and as many as 150 companies from all over the world are part of this Expo,” he said. Besides, defence ministers from more than 30 countries and hundreds of business leaders are also present here, he added.

Modi also highlighted that problems like misuse of technology, terrorism and cyber threat are big challenges for the whole world. “Considering these security challenges, all defence forces in the world are evolving new technologies and India is also not behind in this,” he said while touching upon the focus of this year’s Def Expo- ‘Digital Transformation of Defence’.

Also present on the occasion were Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Minister of State for Defence Shrip[ad Yesso Naik, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath and UP Governor Anandiben Patel. The main theme of the DefExpo India 2020 is ‘India: The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub’.

Delegations from 70 countries and 172 foreign military manufacturers attended the five-day mega exhibition. As many as 856 Indian defence firms including DRDO and HAL also showcase their products at the event.

The 11th edition of DefExpo promises to bring new technologies and solutions on a single platform for defence manufacturing firms from India and abroad.

Top 10 tourist destinations

New Delhi (NVI): If you are planning to travel in 2020, these 10 countries should be on your list.

According to the World Economic Forum report based on Lonely Planets Best Travel for 2020, the list is based on countries’ topicality, unique experiences and ‘wow’ factor. The importance of sustainable tourism also features heavily.

The top 10 countries to visit for 2020 are:

1 Bhutan

Bhutan punches well above its weight when it comes to sustainability. It operates a strict ‘high-value, low-impact’ tourism policy, compelling travellers to pay a high daily fee just to set foot in its monastery-crowned hills.

The pay-off for visitors is a chance to walk along mountain trails unsullied by litter, in the company of people whose Buddhist beliefs put them uniquely in tune with their environment.

2 England

A nation of walkers, England has enshrined a ‘right to roam’, meaning visitors can access many mountains, moors,heaths and downs that are privately owned.

In 2020, the government will open new sections of the England Coast Path, some of which is also ‘access land’.

It will be the longest continuous trail of its kind in the world, giving access to the country’s entire coastline – nearly 3,000 miles – for the first time – as well as all the delights of the English seaside, from fish and chips to fossils.

3 North Macedonia

Known for slow food and foraging in nature, the tiny Balkan nation has adopted a new name, a new era of good relations with Greece- and new flight routes to Unesco-protected Lake Ohrid.

It also recently launched the High Scardus Trail, a 495-km trek along the region’s most dramatic peaks.

4 Aruba

By 2020, the Caribbean island of Aruba will transition to 100 per cent renewable energy, while also tackling a raft of issues including reducing traffic and improving water conservation. Besides the appeal of its pristine beaches and sustainability drive, the southern city of San Nicolas is having a colourful cultural renaissance, with artists ensuring festivities carry on year-round through pop-up carnival experiences.

5 eSwatini

The country formerly known as Swaziland is one of Southern Africa’s most underrated and least visited destinations, according to the Lonely Planet. Abundant with culture, adventure and wildlife, it has a new international airport and improved road infrastructure – aimed at boosting tourist numbers in the coming years.

6 Costa Rica

The tropical paradise is known for embracing sustainable tourism and, with more than 90 per cent of its energy coming from renewable resources, it’s well on its way to becoming carbon-neutral. Its catchphrase ‘pura vida’ (the pure life) encapsulates its approach to protecting biodiversity, while enjoying what nature has to offer: from hiking up volcanoes to riding a zip line through the rainforest.

7 The Netherlands

Next year marks 75 years since the end of World War Two and the Netherlands is planning events across the country – easily accessible through its super-efficient rail network. The Lonely Planet says April and May are the months to visit, to take in King’s Day, Liberation Day and the Eurovision Song Contest, which will be hosted there.

8 Liberia

Liberia has the second-largest area of primary rainforest in West Africa: Sapo National Park, where pygmy hippos run wild with forest elephants and chimpanzees. Thanks to a deal with Norway, Liberia is hoping to put a stop to deforestation by 2020, preserving its precious biodiversity for generations to come.

 9 Morocco

Marrakesh will be Africa’s first capital of culture in 2020. Its ancient medinas, as well as those in coastal Essaouira and Fez, are getting a makeover and Africa’s first high-speed train means that you can go from Casablanca to Tangier in just two hours.

10 Uruguay

In recent years, the country has become one of the most progressive in the world from marijuana legalisation and embracing LGBTQ+ rights, to the promotion of sustainable tourism. It also has a burgeoning wine industry, and more than 600km of Río de la Plata and Atlantic shoreline.

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