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Coal India won’t be hit by commercial mining: CIL

New Delhi (NVI): Coal India Limited (CIL) today said that it would continue to be the country’s leading coal producer even after the sector is opened up for private companies, the company said in a statement.

Coal India Limited (CIL) in a major move to increase its coal output and reduce import dependency of coal in the ensuing years has devised a transformative plan to engage Mine Developer cum Operators (MDO) in its mines.

The Maharatna coal mining behemoth in the process has identified a total of 15 greenfield projects, as on date, to operate through MDO model of which 12 are open cast and 3 underground. Combined, they have a total targeted capacity of around 168 Million Tonnes/Year (MTY). While the OC projects have a targeted capacity of 162 MTY, UG projects add up to the rest close to 6 MTY. The contract period would be for 25 years or life of mine whichever is less.

CIL will engage MDOs of international repute, having state-of-the-art-technology through open global tenders, who shall excavate, extract and deliver coal to the coal companies of CIL as per the approved mining plan. CIL’s Board recently has given its nod in regard to standard bid document and request for bids for the engagement of MDOs.

CIL is laying out plans to complete the formalities by 2021-22 so that all projects become operational and start yielding the output to contribute in 1 BT by 2023-24.

Upcoming identified projects of Mahanadi Coalfields Limited, South Eastern Coalfields and Central Coalfields Limited will form major segments for the MDO mode with targeted capacities of 65.5 MTY, 52.4 MTY and 45 MTY respectively. Eastern Coalfields Limited and Northern Coalfields Limited between them will have projects with targeted capacities of 3 MTY and 2 MTY respectively.

Notice Inviting Tender (NIT) for 2 Projects, Siarmal OC of MCL (40 MTY) and Kotre-Basantpur Pachmo of CCL (5 MTY) together having a targeted capacity of 45 MTY has been floated in 2019-20.  While NIT for 5 Projects for a targeted capacity of 68 MTY will be floated in the ongoing fiscal, for the balance 8 projects NIT will be floated in the fiscal, 2021-22.

Engagement of reputed MDOs would have multiple advantage of technology infusion, operational efficiency in the system apart from increased production. MDOs will facilitate R&R issues, land acquisitions, green clearances and coordination with State and Central Pollution Boards. Since contracts to them are on long-term basis allied infrastructure also would be developed.

SC allows Puri Rath Yatra with no public attendance

Jagannath Rath Yatra is held in Odisha's Puri every year.

New Delhi (NVI): The Supreme Court today gave a go-ahead to the Odisha Government to make necessary arrangements to conduct the Puri’s Rath Yatra from June 23, while keeping in view the necessary protocols in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the interest of public health and safety of citizens in view of possible spread of coronavirus, the three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde, decided in favour of modifying its June 18 verdict, restraining the state government from holding Rath Yatra this year across Odisha.

The apex court said it would leave it to the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration and the Odisha government to conduct Rath Yatra “in a very restricted manner without allowing devotees congregation” after the state government assured it would coordinate with the Centre to organise the festival.

The Centre, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, strongly argued in favour of conducting Rath Yatra in Puri. The Odisha government, which had on June 18 not supported holding of Rath Yatra as it apprehended spread of coronavirus, too, filed an affidavit supporting organising the event in Puri. Its counsel Harish Salve assured the court that the state government will act responsibly and contain the spread. “If cases rise, it will reflect badly on us. We will take care of it,” Salve told the court.


Last evening, the Odisha government said it will take “favourable action” when the Supreme Court (SC) takes up hearing of petitions seeking modification of its order stopping Rath Yatra in Puri scheduled on June 23. “The state government will take favourable action as legally permissible on the request of the Gajapati Maharaj when the writ petition W.P.(C) No. 571 of 2020 is taken up for hearing before the Hon’ble Supreme Court,” the Law department had said in a press release.

On Saturday, the Gajapati Maharaj, in a letter, requested Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to take steps to allow Rath Yatra in without any congregation of the general public and with the state government taking appropriate steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

-ARK

Afghanistan’s COVID tally crosses 29,100, death toll at 598

New Delhi (NVI): The coronavirus cases in Afghanistan saw a rise of 310 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total number to 29,143, according to Afghan media reports.

The death toll due to the virus rose to 598 with 12 new fatalities being reported in the last 24 hours.

Among the fresh cases reported, the highest count was reported in Kabul with 166 cases, followed by Kandahar with 37 positive cases.

Likwise, one case was reported in Paktia, 3 in Nangarhar, 9 in Takhar, 5 in Bamiyan, 22 in Baghlan, 2 in Logar, 21 in Kunduz, 3 in Parwan,7 in Wardak, 9 in Helmand, 5 in Kunar, 5 in Badakhshan, 3 in Ghor and 6 in Zabul.

Also, the ministry reported seven COVID-19 deaths reported in Kabul, two in Nangarhar, One in Baghlan and two in Wardak in the last 24 hours.

The Afghan Ministry of Public Health said 8,841 people have recovered from the respiratory disease in Afghanistan.

So far, 65,847 people have been tested for COVID-19 in the country.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry yesterday said that the number of new coronavirus cases in Afghanistan has gradually declined in the past 10 days.

-RJV

Coronavirus death toll tops 1,500 in Bangladesh; tally exceeds 1.15 lakh

(Image source: United News of Bangladesh)

New Delhi (NVI): As Bangladesh is witnessing a spurt in the number of coronavirus cases and deaths, 38 new fatalities were reported in the last 24 hours taking the total death toll to 1,502.

In addition to this, 3,480 new cases were also detected during this period, taking the total number of Covid-19 patients in the country to 1,15,786, according to United News of Bangladesh.

So far, 46,755 people have recovered in the country after 1,678 more patients were recovered during this period.

The detection rate of new patients was recorded 22.37 percent.

Given the total number of detected cases, the recovery rate is 40.38 percent while the mortality rate 1.30 percent in the country.

Meanwhile, at least 5 physicians in the country have died while saving lives of patients suffering from coronavirus during the pandemic.

-CHK

Nepal COVID-19 tally hits 9,561; death toll 23

New Delhi (NVI): Nepal reported 535 new cases of coronavirus today, taking the national tally to 9,561, according to local media reports.

The country’s Ministry of Health and Population said, Of the newly infected persons, 461 are males and 74 females. In total, 8,667 males and 894 females have been recorded to have contracted the disease, so far.

Currently, 76 of the 77 districts in the country have witnessed the transmission of COVID-19 virus, as per media reports.

In the last 24 hours, 370 people achieved recovery and were discharged form the hospitals, taking the tally of recovery cases to 2,142.

Apart from this, 6,198 samples have been tested through PCR in past 24 hours. In total, 181,371 samples were tested through the PCR and 268,103 through the RDT.

Meanwhile, 23 persons have died in the country so far. No coronavirus related death was reported today in Nepal.

The COVID-19 infection has spread across all districts of the country except in Rasuwa of Bagmati.

-RJV

Pakistan COVID-19 tally surpasses 1.81 lakh; nearly 3,600 dead

New Delhi (NVI): Pakistan has been witnessing a daily surge in the number of coronavirus cases as the tally crossed 1,81,088 today with more than 3,590 deaths.

Looking at the breakdown of cases, Sindh province has reported 69,628 coronavirus cases, highest among all the provinces, while Punjab has 66,943 positive cases.

On the other hand, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has recorded 21,997 cases, Balochistan is at 9,475, Gilgit-Baltistan at 1,288, Islamabad at 10,912 and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is at 845 cases so far, according to Geo News.

So far, nearly 71,458 people have recovered from the deadly contagion in the country.

In addition to this, the country has conducted a total of 11,02,162 tests, including 30,520 carried out during the last 24 hours.

-CHK

Rajnath Singh leaves for 3-day visit to Russia for Victory Day Parade

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh (File pic)

New Delhi (NVI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today left for a three day visit to Russia to attend the the 75th Victory Day Parade of World War II.

During his visit, Singh will also hold talks with top Russian military brass to further deepen the India-Russia defence and strategic partnership.

In this regard, the Union Minister also tweeted, “Leaving for Moscow on a three day visit. The visit to Russia will give me an opportunity to hold talks on ways to further deepen the India-Russia defence and strategic partnership. I shall also be attending the 75th Victory Day Parade in Moscow.”

A tri-service 75-member Indian military contingent has already reached Moscow to participate in the parade. The Indian team will participate in the parade alongside armed forces personnel from at least 11 countries, including China.

“The Indian participation in the Victory Day parade will be a mark of tribute to the great sacrifices made by Russia and other nations in the Second World War in which Indian soldiers also participated and made supreme sacrifice,” the Defence Ministry stated.

The meeting is considered to hold high importance amid escalating border tensions between India and China.

Reportedly, it is the first visit abroad by a senior union minister in four months as foreign travels were restricted in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

-CHK

Family of missing Kashmiri PhD scholar seeks J&K Govt’s help to trace him      

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): The family members of a 26-year-old Srinagar youth, who was pursuing a doctorate in Kashmir University and went missing during trekking on June 13, staged a peaceful protest here today and appealed to all the security agencies and J&K administration to take concrete steps to trace their son.

Amid slogans of “we want justice”, “no connection with militancy”, the family members of Hilal Ahmed Dar, a resident of Bemina, Srinagar assembled at press colony here for the third time since Dar went missing while trekking at Naranag area of Ganderbal district of Central Kashmir.

“Our son is innocent. He has no militant connection or any other link. We make a fervent appeal to the heads of all security agencies in Kashmir to help trace our son,” Dar’s family members told NVI. “He should be traced and handed over to the family members as soon as possible,” they said.

Hilal’s brother, Yasir, who was also part of the protest, said that he has been trying to get the whereabouts of his brother since past many days. “We have been camping in Naranag. Yesterday, we got news that my brother was killed in an encounter, but that was fake news. The fact is that my brother was part of a six-member group who went for trekking on June 13. Five youth returned and my brother didn’t,” he said.

Yasir said that if any security agency has picked his brother, they should release him for the “sake of humanity.”

Apart from that, Dar’s family members said that the J&K Lieutenant Governor led administration must direct all the security agencies to trace their son on humanitarian grounds. “He is an orphan. His parents died long back and he has been brought up by his uncles. He has no connection with militancy. We urge the government to put in best efforts to trace him out,” they said while holding placards displaying “Our son is innocent, trace him out,” and “our son a scholar, not a militant” slogans.

The family members of the missing scholar have been moving from pillar to post since June 13 but so far there has been no clue of his whereabouts. A police officer said that neither they have not been able to find Hilal, nor is any militancy link coming to fore. “The five other youths who were along with Hilal are also being questioned. They are cooperating with the police and even helped to take police to the exact spot where Hilal was last seen,” the officer said.

-ARK

COVID-19 testing more than tripled in Delhi: Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal

New Delhi (NVI): COVID-19 testing has been increased to more than triple — going up from 5,000 to 18,000 tests a day — and people should not face any difficulties now, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said today as coronavirus cases near 60,000 in the national capital.

While addressing a virtual press conference, Kejriwal said that all those under home-isolation will be provided with pulse oximeters to measure oxygen levels in every few hours.

As the death figures in the country took a massive jump, Kejriwal said breathing difficulty and low oxygen levels in the blood are the most common complications of the infection.

The Delhi government and the Centre are working together to stem COVID-19 spread in the national capital, he added.

The Centre has taken up the matter and the two governments have held a series of meetings on the issue.

“We are fighting two wars against China – at the border and against the virus which came from China. Our 20 brave soldiers didn’t back down. Even we won’t retreat and win both the wars,” Kejriwal said.

He further added, “The entire country stands together with our doctors and soldiers who are fighting on the two fronts. There should be no politics on this.”

Delhi has recorded more than 3,000 positive cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours taking the total number of cases to 59,746. Out of this, there are 25,000 active cases, while around 33,000 people have recovered from the deadly virus.

-CHK

India, China Corps Commanders meet underway to defuse tension at LAC

India-China face-off: Core issue is to 'strictly' follow bilateral border pacts, says MEA

New Delhi (NVI): A week after the violent clash between the Indian and Chinese troops in Galwan Valley, a second round of meeting between Corps Commanders from both sides is underway at the Chushul-Moldo border personnel meeting (BPM) point in eastern Ladakh.

This is the same place where June 6 meeting between the Commanders took place. The Indian side was led by Commander of Leh-based 14 Corps Lt Gen Harinder Singh and the Chinese side was led by South Xinjiang Military District Commander Major General Liu Lin. The meeting, which had lasted for over six hours, was held to discuss the roadmap for disengagement.

Meanwhile, today’s meeting takes place when there has been a further escalation in tensions between the two sides after a violent face-off in which 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives. The Chinese side also, as Army said, had casualties in the showdown.

Apart from the 20 Indian casualties, 76 were injured in the bloody face-off with Chinese troops in Galwan Valley on June 15.

After the June 6 meeting, India and China agreed to pull back troops as part of the de-escalation process, However, the Chinese side departed from these understandings in respect of the LAC in the Galwan Valley area and sought to erect structures just across the LAC, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

“When this attempt was foiled, Chinese troops took violent actions on June 15, 2020 that directly resulted in casualties,” MEA spokesman Anurag Srivastava said during a virtual press briefing Saturday.

In the all-party meeting convened Friday to discuss the India-China border face-off, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had denied any Chinese intrusion in Indian territory along Line of Actual Control (LAC). He reassured the leaders that the armed forces are capable of defending borders and have been given a free hand to take all necessary steps.

Since early May 2020, the Chinese side has been hindering India’s normal, traditional patrolling pattern in this area, he said, adding “this had resulted in a face-off which was addressed by the ground commanders as per the provisions of the bilateral agreements and protocols.”

-ARK

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