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Budding artists display snow sculpting art in Kashmir’s Gulmarg

Snow sculpting

Neyaz Elahi

Srinagar (NVI): A four-day snow sculpting competition is in full swing in world famous ski resort of Gulmarg in Kashmir Valley.

Talented budding artists are displaying their skills in this competition organized by Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department.

The competition, which began on Wednesday, entered its 2nd day with artists making full use of their skills, creating amazing sculptures.

An official from Tourism Department said that over 30 participants drawn from various districts of the Kashmir Valley, both amateur and professional, are participating in the competition.

He said the participants are competing in teams and also as individuals to hand carve unique art works on themes depicting Kashmir culture, heritage, life and nature.

The outgoing Director of Tourism, Nisar Ahmed, said that this competition is a platform for those artists who want to excel in their art.

“Hundreds of locals as well tourists are thronging Gulmarg to witness the art of these talented artists,” he said adding that Kashmir is blessed with a natural and advantageous geographical environment for ice and snow tourism which the department will promote to attract tourists to this snow art during winter months.

The Tourism Department of Jammu and Kashmir is providing all the support including travel, accommodation and food to the participants for the event.

-CHK

State-wise details of Covid-19 cases in India

Covid-19 India
File photo

New Delhi (NVI): The total number of coronavirus cases in India have crossed the 10.6 million-mark and currently stands at 10,610,88 after 13,700 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

The country’s death toll stands at 1,52,869 after 151 new fatalities were reported during the same period.

In worst-affected Maharashtra, the COVID-19 cases increased to 19,97,992 followed by Karnataka with 9,33,578 and Andhra Pradesh with 8,86,418 positive cases.

Total positive cases in States/UTs:

Andaman and Nicobar Islands- 4,991

Andhra Pradesh- 8,86,418

Arunachal Pradesh- 16,815

Assam- 2,16,919

Bihar- 2,58,176

Chandigarh- 20,623

Chhattisgarh- 2,94,949

Dadra and Nagar Haveli– 3,393

Delhi- 6,33,049

Gujarat- 2,57,342

Goa- 52,657

Haryana– 2,66,686

Himachal Pradesh- 57,082

Jammu and Kashmir- 1,23,647

Jharkhand- 1,18,012

Karnataka- 9,33,578

Kerala- 8,64,195

Ladakh- 9,668

Lakshadweep- 30

Madhya Pradesh- 2,52,466

Maharashtra- 19,97,992

Manipur- 28,919

Meghalaya- 13,717

Mizoram- 4,346

Nagaland- 12,067

Odisha- 3,33,723

Puducherry- 38,737

Punjab- 1,71,136

Rajasthan- 3,15,816

Sikkim- 6,057

Tamil Nadu- 8,32,415

Telangana- 2,92,621

Tripura- 33,339

Uttarakhand- 95,192

Uttar Pradesh- 5,97,628

West Bengal – 5,66,482

State/UT wise total death toll:

Andaman and Nicobar Islands- 62

Andhra Pradesh- 7,142

Arunachal Pradesh- 56

Assam- 1,077

Bihar- 1,464

Chandigarh- 330

Chhattisgarh- 3,585

Dadra and Nagar Haveli- 2

Delhi- 10,774

Goa- 756

Gujarat- 4,371

Haryana- 2,997

Himachal Pradesh- 967

Jammu and Kashmir- 1,923

Jharkhand- 1,057

Karnataka- 12,185

Kerala- 3,524

Ladakh- 129

Madhya Pradesh- 3,770

Maharashtra- 50,582

Manipur- 367

Meghalaya- 144

Mizoram- 9

Nagaland- 88

Odisha- 1,902

Puducherry- 643

Punjab- 5,520

Rajasthan- 2,754

Sikkim- 130

Tamil Nadu- 12,290

Telangana- 1,584

Tripura- 391

Uttar Pradesh- 8,591

Uttarakhand- 1,622

West Bengal- 10,074

However, a total of 10,265,706 people have been cured and discharged, while the total active cases stands at 1,92,308 in the country.

-CHK

Govt approves construction of over 1.68L new houses under PMAY Urban

PMAY-G

New Delhi (NVI): The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has approved the construction of 1,68,606 houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), taking the total number of houses approved so far under the scheme to 1.1 crore.

The decision was taken at the 52nd meeting of the Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee (CSMC) under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs said in a statement.

“Around 14 States and Union Territories participated in this meeting,” it added.

This was the second CSMC meeting during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ministry informed that these houses are proposed to be constructed across the verticals of Beneficiary Led Construction, Affordable Housing in partnership and In-Situ Slum Redevelopment.

At the meeting, the states also put in their proposals for revision of projects due to various issues such as of land, topographical hazards, inter-city migration, change of preferences of verticals etc.

“Construction is in various stages in more than 70 lakh houses and more than 41 lakh houses have been completed,” the statement noted.

MoHUA, Secretary Durga Shanker Mishra, who presided over the meeting urged the States and UTs to strategize the expeditious implementation of PMAY(U) projects.

“The progress under the mission has been steady. We have to move towards completion of houses with all the basic physical and social infrastructure,” he added.

Mishra also said, “The States and UTs shall focus on completion and delivery of houses to beneficiaries and they should to expedite the implementation of Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHCs) scheme.”

He further said that all the States and UTs may also learn from the six Light House Projects (LHPs) initiated in six cities , namely, Agartala (Tripura), Ranchi (Jharkhand), Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Rajkot (Gujarat) and Chennai (Tamil Nadu).

Furthermore, the Ministry is also committed to provide pucca houses to all eligible beneficiaries of Urban India by 2022 when the nation will celebrate 75th Independence, the statement said.

With the vision of ‘Housing for All’, the emphasis has been to accelerate construction, completion and delivery of houses across the country within stipulated time under PMAY(U), it added.

-RJV

 

Do not panic, you will get a Covid-19 vaccine, says WHO

vaccine
Representational/file photo

New Delhi (NVI): Nobody should panic about getting access to a Covid-19 vaccine because everyone who wants one will get one, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

The WHO’s assistant director-general, Mariangela Simao, said the UN health agency was working towards ensuring access to coronavirus jabs all around the world.

“No one needs to panic, because you’re going to get a vaccine,” said Simao, the assistant DG for access to medicines, vaccines and pharmaceuticals.

“We’ve been working very hard to ensure that all countries, all populations, do have the opportunity to access these vaccines,” she told a WHO social media live event.

Simao said that around 50 countries have started vaccination campaigns, with more than 40 of them being high-income states.

Reportedly, WHO co-led Covax facility, a globally-pooled vaccine procurement and distribution effort, has struck agreements with five manufacturers for two billion vaccine doses.

It aims to secure vaccines for 20 per cent of the population in each participating country by the end of the year, with funding covered for the 92 lower- and lower-middle income economies involved.

“We are expecting to have the first doses reaching countries end of February,” Simao said.

So far, more than 96.8 million cases of coronavirus have been confirmed across the globe with more than 2,074,618 fatalities being reported till date, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

-CHK

Punjab colleges, universities reopen

colleges
(File/Representational image)

New Delhi (NVI): All universities and colleges across Punjab reopened from today, after over 10 months of closure due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The government decided to reopen all the government, aided and non-aided colleges including all the government and private universities in the state.

All the higher educational institutes that are being opened today have to follow the guidelines issued by the state government regarding COVID-19.

In this regard, the Higher Education Department has also issued a detailed guideline to all the universities and colleges. “In the interest of students, educational institutions should conduct classes both offline and online and conduct the semester/annual examinations through offline medium only,” the guidelines said.

Under the guidelines, students would be allowed to take classes as per their choice and no institute should compel the students to be physically present at the institution. Also, hostels have been allowed to reopen while following COVID-19 instructions.

Apart from this, mess and canteens should be opened as per the instructions of the health department taking all necessary safety measures.

The state government has also decided that all schools, including government, private, and aided schools will reopen from January 27.

So far, Punjab has registered 1,71,136 coronavirus cases with 5,520 deaths, the Health Ministry data shows.

-RJV

COVID-19: 15,233 new cases, 151 deaths reported in India

Covid variant
File photo

New Delhi (NVI): India saw a rise of 15,233 fresh cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of coronavirus cases to 10,610,883, Union Health Ministry confirmed.

The death toll due to the virus rose to 1,52,869, with 151 new fatalities being reported during the same period.

Currently,  97.75 per cent of the infected people have recovered, with recoveries standing at a total of 10,265,706 across the country.

Meanwhile, active coronavirus cases in India have dropped below the 2-lakh mark and stands at 1,92,308 at a time when the country is undergoing the world’s biggest vaccination drive.

With this, the share of active cases in the total positive cases has further shrunk to 1.81 per cent.

In worst-affected Maharashtra, the COVID-19 cases increased to 19,97,992 followed by Karnataka with 9,33,578 and Andhra Pradesh with 8,86,418 positive cases.

In another development, in total 7.86 lakh healthcare workers have received COVID-19 vaccine jabs till the evening of the fifth day of the immunisation drive, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

In the last 24 hours, 1,31,649 beneficiaries were vaccinated across 20 states and Union Territories.

Ten cases of adverse events following immunization (AEFI) — four in Delhi, two in Karnataka, and one each in Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and West Bengal — have required hospitalisation so far, additional secretary in the Health Ministry Manohar Agnani said. “There has been no case of serious/severe adverse event attributable to COVID-19 vaccination till date,” Agnani said.

Apart from this, nearly 5 States namely Kerala, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and West Bengal account for 73 per cent of the total active cases in the country, the ministry said.

-CHK

Coronavirus cases surpass 96.8 mn globally; US death toll tops 4 lakh

Coronavirus cases

New Delhi (NVI): More than 96.8 million people around the world have been confirmed to have the coronavirus, while the death toll has crossed 2,073,000, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally. Over 53.3 million patients have recovered from the deadly disease globally.

The number of coronavirus infections in the US have surpassed 24.4 million, while the number of fatalities caused due to the deadly contagion have exceeded 4,06,000 in the country.

Brazil’s coronavirus cases have crossed the 8.6 million-mark and stands at 8,638,249 while the number of deaths have surged past 2,12,000.

Furthermore, Beijing is under partial lockdown after China reported 144 new cases on Wednesday, including 126 locally transmitted infections.

Australia recorded a fourth day of zero coronavirus cases on Thursday, prompting the chief of the country’s most populous state to call for a special travel “bubble” with Pacific island nations.

In the Pacific, Papua New Guinea is battling continued outbreaks of Covid-19 across its archipelago. The country has currently recorded 843 cases, with eight new case overnight in West New Britain and the capital Port Moresby.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday, “Nobody should panic about getting access to a Covid-19 vaccine because everyone who wants one will get one.”

-CHK

Pak’s Shaheen-3 missile crash landed in civilian area in Balochistan: BRP

New Delhi (NVI): Several houses were damaged and at least five people including two women and two children were injured in Dera Bugti district in Balochistan province as Pakistan Army today test-fired its long-range Shaheen-3 missile which crash-landed in a civilian area, says Baloch Republican Party (BRP).

Apart from BRP, several Human Rights activists and observers also tweeted that there were multiple reports coming in from Dera Bugti in Balochistan that ballistic missile test conducted by Pakistan Army fell on a local village in the area, injuring many people and damaging homes, while demanding an investigation into the incident.

DG ISPR tweeted on the flight test of the surface to surface ballistic missile, with a launch video of the Shaheen-3.

“Pakistan conducted successful flight test of #Shaheen-3 surface 2 surface ballistic missile, having range of 2750 Kms. Flt test aimed @ revalidating various design & tech parameters of weapon system. President, PM, CJCSC & Services Chiefs have congratulated scientists & engineers,” the DG-ISPR said in a tweet.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, President Arif Alvi and Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) also congratulated the scientists and engineers over the successful test.

However, the Baloch Republican Party’s media cell said that the missile which was fired by Pakistan Army from Rakhi area of Dera Ghazi Khan landed at civil populated area of Dera Bugti’s Matt region.

BRP said that Pakistani security forces had evacuated all their posts in the area last night, but the missile was detonated in the presence of civilians in the area. “The blast completely destroyed many houses and injured several people,” it said.

Sher Mohammad Bugti, central spokesman of BRP also tweeted on the damage done to house in civilian area, saying “Balochistan is our motherland, it is not a laboratory.”

“Pakistani army turned Balochistan into a laboratory. Army has tested Shaheen 3 missile which was fired from Dera Ghazi Khan & landed on civilian areas of Matt, Dera Bugti. The missile was tested in the presence of civilians, destroying dozens of homes & injuring several,” he tweeted.

“We call on all oppressed nations to speak out against the #Pakistani military’s missile test on civilians in Dera Bugti,” the BRP spokesman said in another tweet.


“Locals of Dera Bugti’ Matt region confirmed to me that five people including two women, two children were seriously injured as Pakistan Army conducted missile test in Dera Bugti,” he said in another tweet.

Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) leader Mohsin Dawar also condemned the irrespnsible act by Pakistani army. “The state’s obsession with violence continues to cost lives. Instead of focusing on public welfare, health and education, the hybrid regime has launched missiles, causing destruction in Balochistan yet again, injuring and endangering the already neglected and oppressed Baloch,” he said in a tweet.

Notably, Pakistan has tested its nuclear-capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile on a day when Joe Biden has taken oath as the US President.

The missile is capable of carrying nuclear and conventional warheads to a range of 2,750 kms, according to a statement issued by the media wing of the Pakistani army – the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

-ARK

Parliamentary Standing Committee on transport, tourism and culture arrives in Kashmir

Parliamentary Standing Committee

Srinagar (NVI): A Parliamentary Standing Committee on transport, tourism and culture arrived today in Kashmir on a three days visit. The committee is scheduled to meet various stakeholders to make an assessment of these sectors in the Valley.

The committee, headed by Rajya Sabha MP from Madhya Pradesh TG Venkatesh shall hold a meeting with concerned stakeholders on issues related to road, travel and hospitality sectors on the day of visit.

They shall also hold a meeting with the officials of Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways, NHAI along with representatives of the UT Govt of J&K on, ‘Role of highways in Nation building’ with reference to the status of National highways/ State highways in J&K.

The members of the committee will also hold a meeting with the officials of the department of culture and tourism and Archaeological Survey of India, along with representatives of the UT Govt of Jammu and Kashmir, with focus on, ‘promotion and preservation of archaeological sites and artefacts in J&K’.

The delegation shall have an on the spot assessment of the tourism facilities/ amenities available at Gulmarg. They will hold a meeting with the officials of the Ministry of Tourism, along with representatives of the UT Govt of Jammu and Kashmir and J&K Police, Institute of Hotel Management Srinagar, Indian Institute of Skiing and Mountaineering, Gulmarg  and various stakeholders of Tourism.

The visiting committee members shall hold a meeting with the officials of Ministries of Civil Aviation, Home affairs, Railways, Tourism, Road Transport and Highways and NHAI on safety and connectivity aspects in the respective sectors.

-ARK

‘Most generous gift’: Maldives thanks India for providing Covid-19 vaccines

Maldives

New Delhi (NVI): As India began its supply of Covid vaccines to six key partner countries today, Maldives thanked the Indian government after receiving 1,00,000 doses of the Covishield vaccine, saying that it has renewed its hopes for a resolution to the Covid 19 crisis soon.

The consignment of Covishield vaccines from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport reached Male today.

Maldives President Ibrahim Mohammed Solih thanked the Indian government for the vaccines. “A short while ago, a flight from India with 100,000 doses of the CoviShield vaccine arrived in the Maldives, renewing our hopes for a resolution to the Covid 19 crisis soon. Our heartfelt thanks to PM @narendramodi, government and people of India for this most generous gift,” the Maldives President said in a tweet.

Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid also thanked India for the Covid vaccine support. “Maldives is happy to receive as grant, 100,000 doses of Covishield developed by Serum Institute of India – among the first countries to receive vaccines from India. As always, India stands strong & steadfast, by our side, as 1st responder in any crisis,” he tweeted.

In another tweet, Abdulla said that Maldives extends deep and profound appreciation to PM Modi and EAM S Jaishankarfor their commitment to address the needs of India’s neighbours, and for its special regard for the Maldives, at all times.

“With the timely actions taken by the Gov, under the leadership of HEP @ibusolih , and the capable guidance of our health services, and the selfless service of individuals of our society, we learnt and lived the new norm. Today we rise, to fight the pandemic on a more equal footing,” he tweeted.

Apart from Maldives, Bhutan also received its first consignment of Covid-19 vaccines from India. Bhutan is in fact the first country that received the Covid vaccines from India.

“Our profound gratitude to the GoI for the generous gift of 150,000 doses of Covishield vaccines that Bhutan received today. Deeply grateful to GoI for its abiding friendship and unconditional support to Bhutan’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic,” Bhutan’s Foreign Minister Tandi Dorji said in a tweet.


-ARK

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