Anantnag (NVI) A Jaish-e-Mohammad militant and an associate belonging to the same terror outfit were arrested by security forces on the basis of intelligence inputs in separate operations in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir today, police said.
In south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, acting swiftly upon specific information that militants are planning to kill a cop and snatch his weapon, police along with soldiers from 1st Rashtriya Rifles laid nakas (check-points) at multiple places and conducted intensified checking.
A police official said that during the checking, one recently recruited militant of proscribed Jaish-e-Muhammad outfit was apprehended and a Chinese pistol along with one magazine and 7 live rounds were recovered from him.
The militant has been identified as Ayaaz Ahmad Bhat of Shirpora Bala, Anantnag.
In another operation, police said that acting on information that militants are planning to lob grenade in Anantnag town, security forces laid surprise nakas at multiple places and during checking one militant associate of JeM identified as Rayees Ahmad Mir of Chandhara in Pampore was held in Mehendi Kadal area. One hand grenade was recovered from his possession.
Separate cases against the arrested militant and the associate were registered at concerned police station, they said.
New Delhi (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi today congratulated the Indian cricket team for its historical test series win against Australia in Brisbane and said that the country is overjoyed at the success.
PM Modi took to Twitter soon after India defeated Australia and wrote, “We are all overjoyed at the success of the Indian Cricket Team in Australia. Their remarkable energy and passion was visible throughout. So was their stellar intent, remarkable grit and determination. Congratulations to the team! Best wishes for your future endeavours.”
We are all overjoyed at the success of the Indian Cricket Team in Australia. Their remarkable energy and passion was visible throughout. So was their stellar intent, remarkable grit and determination. Congratulations to the team! Best wishes for your future endeavours.
India beat Australia by three wickets in the fourth Test at the Gabba in Brisbane to win the four-match series by 2-1 and clinch the Border-Gavaskar trophy for the second time in a row.
This is also India’s first victory at Gabba in 7 Tests. Before this, India had lost five tests while drawing one at the venue.
A virtual celebration began on Twitter with a large number of political leaders among others congratulating the winning team.
“What a Game at Brisbane! It is one of the most memorable victories in recent years. Congratulations to the Indian cricket team for winning the Test Match and the series against Australia. This stupendous victory in Australia is truly remarkable. Well played Team India,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted.
What a Game at Brisbane! It is one of the most memorable victories in the recent years.
Congratulations to the Indian cricket team for winning the Test Match and the series against Australia.
This stupendous victory in Australia is truly remarkable. Well played Team India!
Home Minister Amit Shah wrote, “Hats off to Indian Cricket Team for registering a historic series win. Entire nation is proud of your remarkable achievement. Well played Team India!”
Hats off to Indian Cricket Team for registering a historic series win. Entire nation is proud of your remarkable achievement.
In addition to this, BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) has announced a Rs 5 crore bonus for the team as it retains the Border-Gavaskar trophy after chasing down 328 in the final test to end Australia’s 32-year unbeaten run at the Gabba.
Last week, during the third test, a few of the Indian team members were subjected to racial abuse by the spectators at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Indian team lodged an official complaint to the match referee in Sydney after Siraj and fellow pacer Jasprit Bumrah encountered racist abuse by the fans present inside the stadium on Day 3 and 4 of the third Test.
This followed a statement from Cricket Australia on their official website.
“Cricket Australia condemns in the strongest terms possible all discriminatory behaviour,” said Sean Carroll, Cricket Australia’s Head of Integrity and Security.
“If you engage in racist abuse, you are not welcome in Australian cricket,” he added.
He further stated, “As series hosts, we unreservedly apologise to our friends in the Indian cricket team and assure them we will prosecute the matter to its fullest extent.”
New Delhi (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release financial assistance of Rs 2,691 crores to 6.1 lakh beneficiaries in Uttar Pradesh under Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G) tomorrow.
The assistance would include release of first installment to 5.30 lakh beneficiaries and second installment to 80,000 beneficiaries who have already availed first installment of assistance under PMAY-G, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
Union Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath will also be present on the occasion. “The event scheduled to take place at 12 noon via video conferencing,” the statement added.
Prime Minister gave the clarion call of “Housing for All by 2022”, for which a flagship programme of PMAY-G was launched on November 20, 2016.
According to the PMO statement, so far 1.26 crore houses have already been built across the country under the scheme.
Under PMAY-G, each beneficiary is given 100 per cent grant of Rs.1.20 lakh (in plain areas) and Rs. 1.30 lakh (in Hilly States/North Eastern States/Difficult areas/UT of J&K and Ladakh/IAP/LWE districts), it said
Further, the beneficiaries of PMAY-G, in addition to the unit assistance, are also provided support of unskilled labour wages under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), the statement noted.
On the other hand, assistance of Rs 12,000 is provided for construction of toilets through Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin (SBM-G), MGNREGS or any other dedicated source of funding.
The scheme has provisions for convergence with other schemes of Government of India and State and UTs for providing LPG connection under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Scheme, electricity connection, access to safe drinking water under Jal Jeevan Mission etc, the PMO said.
New Delhi (NVI): The first group of Indian military specialists is all set to travel to the Russian capital Moscow to train on S-400 air defence systems which are expected to be delivered to India by the end of this year.
Under the $5.4 billion deal with Russia signed in October 2018 for five S-400 systems, the first batch is expected to be delivered by the end of 2021.
Russian Ambassador to India, Nikolay R Kudashev today said that the agreement on the S-400 supplies is one of the flagship initiatives of bilateral military and military-technical cooperation, which constitutes the main pillar of the special and privileged strategic partnership between Russia and India.
Russian Ambassador to India, Nikolay Kudashev
He was speaking at a protocol event hosted by the Russian Embassy in India in honour of the first group of Indian military specialists heading to Moscow for the S-400 air defence systems training courses.
The Russian ambassador said that the agreement is based on mutual trust and reflects the “true spirit of our bilateral and multilateral commitments in the framework of our vision towards just and equal relations based on the international law and the UN Charter.”
“Coming out of bipolar world and successfully proceeding through the current establishment of the polycentric order, our partnership is becoming even stronger experiencing new areas and forms of mutually beneficial and forward-looking cooperation. It is absolutely true for our military and military-technical ties, which are based on ever-growing extraordinary mutual interest, coherence, consistence and complementarity. Throughout the years, Russian-Indian friendship has become an important factor of stability in the region and the globe,” he said in his address.
He said that currently, Russia and India are deeply involved in joint development and production of military equipment, components and spare parts as well as technologies sharing, improving after-sales service system. “We have developed an advanced legal base for this purpose,” he added.
“Along with S-400 systems project, we are successfully moving towards implementation of AK-203 Kalashnikovs contract (more than 700 thousand items to be produced at the JV Indo-Russian Rifles in India), 200 Ka-226 helicopters supplies and production in India as well as an advanced cooperation in the areas of combat aviation (including Su-30MKI programme), main battle tanks (T-90), frigates, submarines and missiles, including joint production of unique Brahmos,” Nikolay Kudashev said.
The envoy said that Russia is also looking forward to an early implementation of the spare parts joint production agreement, which also fits well in Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat programmes. He said that work also is going on the mutual logistics support agreement, strengthening maritime cooperation, including in the Indian Ocean.
“The next big step is the Aero-India – 2021 international exhibition and conference in Bangalore in February, where Russia intends to be one of the biggest exhibitors. We plan to demonstrate Su-57, Su-35 and MiG-35 fighter jets, helicopters Ka-52, Ka-226, Mi-17B-5, Mi-26 as well S-400 systems and many other new items and equipment,” said the ambassador.
The participants also visited the Russian Embassy’s Alexander M Kadakin Museum, the Russian embassy said in a statement.
Notably, India is getting advanced Russian air defence systems in the wake of a bitter border row with China in Ladakh.
The delivery of these defence systems also comes against the backdrop of possible US sanctions.
New Delhi (NVI): The samples collected from dead crow at Red Fort premises tested positive for bird flu today and order have been issued to shut the monument for the public till January 26.
As many as 15 crows were found dead few days ago in the premises of Red Fort, according to the reports.
In regard to this, the Animal Husbandry Department has issued directions to stop the arrival of the common public at the Red Fort till Republic Day on January 26.
The Delhi’s animal husbandry department official said that a sample from a dead bird was sent to a Jalandhar-based laboratory for testing of H5N8 avian influenza virus.
“Entry of public into monument has been restricted till January 26 as a precautionary measure,” the official said.
On January 17, samples from a dead brown fish Owl from Delhi Zoological Park had tested positive for Avian Influenza (AI).
Earlier this month, the bird flu outbreak in the national capital was confirmed when the carcasses of dead crows and other birds found in Mayur Vihar, Dwarka and other parts of the national capital came positive.
So far, the Centre has confirmed the outbreak of avian influenza or bird flu in 14 states. Out of these, five states confirmed the infection in poultry birds, while 9 others found it in crows, migratory birds or wild birds.
New Delhi (NVI): 15 labourers including a one-year-old girl, who were sleeping by the roadside in Surat district of Gujarat, were killed after they were run over by a dumper truck early this morning.
The tragic incident took place near Kosamba village, around 60 km from Surat, when the truck driver apparently lost control of the vehicle after hitting a sugarcane laden tractor.
Both the truck driver and cleaner were also injured in the accident and were admitted to a hospital. However, the truck driver has been booked and Surat rural Kosamba police has lodged a complaint against him. A probe into the incident is underway.
12 persons including the girl died on the spot and three of the nine injured died in a nearby hospital. According to police, all those who died were from Rajasthan.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the loss of lives. “The loss of lives due to a truck accident in Surat is tragic. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. Praying that the injured recover at the earliest,” the PM’s office tweeted.
The loss of lives due to a truck accident in Surat is tragic. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. Praying that the injured recover at the earliest: PM @narendramodi
The Prime Minister has also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from PMNRF to the next of kin of those who have lost their lives and Rs 50,000 each for those injured.
New Delhi (NVI): Sri Lanka will reopen its doors for foreign tourists from January 21, after remaining shut for 10 months, with tough COVID-19 protocols to make the island getaway safe and secure for the visitors.
The announcement came as the Sri Lankan authorities sought to revive a tourism sector devastated by the deadly 2019 Easter bombings and the COVID-19 pandemic, according to local media reports.
In this regard, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) has issued a ‘Safety Protocols’ to be followed by the tourism industry. These protocols were issued by the Ministry of Health and adopted by Sri Lanka Tourism.
As per the protocols, the island does not require a minimum number of days to stay, visitors to the Sri Lanka can stay even 3 to 4 days.
“Sri Lanka also offers ‘quarantine-free’ visitor experience, where the visitors are allowed to enjoy all facilities in their respective hotels, including the swimming pools, spas, gym, etc,” the SLTDA said in a statement.
Under the protocols, the foreign tourists will be allowed to stay in 53 designated hotels— certified ‘Safe and Secure’, Level 1 hotel or hotels, in the initial 14 days of their stay, which are off limits to locals except for staff – across the country.
The visitors will be required to produce a negative result from a PCR test taken up to 96 hours before their arrival. They must also undergo two more tests for a visit of up to seven days, and three tests if they stay for more than a week, which cost USD 40, SLTDA said.
During the visit, for the first two weeks, the tourists will have to be accompanied by officials when travelling to designated tourism spots.
Apart from this, the tourists are also required to fork out USD 12 for mandate insurance that will cover up to USD 50,000 in COVID-19 related medical costs when applying for visa online
Furthermore, Sri Lanka Tourism with the tourism industry has created a bio-bubble for international visitors to explore multiple sites and attractions in Sri Lanka, the media reports said.
This include places such as, Sinharaja Forest Reserve, Yala, Udawalawe, Kaudulla and Wilpattu National Parks, Mirissa Whale Watching and Polonnaruwa among others.
So far, Sri Lanka has registered over 53,700 coronavirus cases, with 270 deaths since the start of the pandemic, the John Hopkins University data shows.
New Delhi (NVI): The total number of coronavirus cases in India have crossed the 10.58 million-mark and currently stands at 10,581,837 after 10,064 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours, according to the Union Health Ministry data.
The country’s death toll stands at 1,52,556 after 137 new fatalities were reported during the same period.
In worst-affected Maharashtra, the COVID-19 cases increased to 19,92,683 followed by Karnataka with 9,32,432 and Andhra Pradesh with 8,86,066 positive cases.
Total positive cases in States/UTs:
Andaman and Nicobar Islands- 4,988
Andhra Pradesh- 8,86,066
Arunachal Pradesh- 16,812
Assam- 2,16,864
Bihar- 2,57,775
Chandigarh- 20,564
Chhattisgarh- 2,93,972
Dadra and Nagar Haveli– 3,390
Delhi- 6,32,590
Gujarat- 2,56,367
Goa- 52,458
Haryana– 2,66,428
Himachal Pradesh- 56,978
Jammu and Kashmir- 1,23,425
Jharkhand- 1,17,786
Karnataka- 9,32,432
Kerala- 8,51,194
Ladakh- 9,657
Madhya Pradesh- 2,51,882
Maharashtra- 19,92,683
Manipur- 28,867
Meghalaya- 13,707
Mizoram- 4,329
Nagaland- 12,061
Odisha- 3,33,444
Puducherry- 38,669
Punjab- 1,70,729
Rajasthan- 3,15,394
Sikkim- 6,038
Tamil Nadu- 8,31,323
Telangana- 2,92,128
Tripura- 33,335
Uttarakhand- 94,923
Uttar Pradesh- 5,96,904
West Bengal – 5,65,661
State/UT wise total death toll:
Andaman and Nicobar Islands- 62
Andhra Pradesh- 7,141
Arunachal Pradesh- 56
Assam- 1,075
Bihar- 1,460
Chandigarh- 330
Chhattisgarh- 3,565
Dadra and Nagar Haveli- 2
Delhi- 10,754
Goa- 756
Gujarat- 4,367
Haryana- 2,989
Himachal Pradesh- 967
Jammu and Kashmir- 1,922
Jharkhand- 1,054
Karnataka- 12,175
Kerala- 3,480
Ladakh- 128
Madhya Pradesh- 3,756
Maharashtra- 50,473
Manipur- 366
Meghalaya- 144
Mizoram- 9
Nagaland- 88
Odisha- 1,901
Puducherry- 643
Punjab- 5,509
Rajasthan- 2,750
Sikkim- 130
Tamil Nadu- 12,272
Telangana- 1,581
Tripura- 391
Uttar Pradesh- 8,580
Uttarakhand- 1,617
West Bengal- 10,063
However, a total of 10,228,753 people have been cured and discharged, while the total active cases stands at 2,00,528 in the country.
New Delhi (NVI): India registered 10,064 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours for the first time after seven months and crossed a crucial milestone in its fight against the pandemic, Union Health Ministry said.
This first time after June last year when daily new COVID-19 cases have touched a new low. The daily new cases were 10,956 on June 12, 2020.
According to the Ministry of Health statement, “The country’s total active COVID-19 caseload has also dropped to 2 lakh and stands at 2,00,528.”
Currently, the active caseload in India consists of just 1.90 per cent of total positive cases.
The ministry also said that, the fall in the number of daily new cases is accompanied by a fast rising number of people getting vaccinated against COVID-19 across all States and UTs. The number of people vaccinated is more than double the number of active cases.
In the past 24 hours, 2,23,669 people were vaccinated across 3,930 sessions taking the cumulative total of people vaccinated to 4,54,049 across 7,860 sessions conducted so far.
Moreover, the positivity rate has also seen a deep dip with the increase in number of testing infrastructure. India’s weekly positivity rate is 1.97 per cent, the statement said.
In addition, 22 States and UTs have weekly positivity rate less than the national average, while 13 States and UTs have weekly positivity rate more than the national average.
Meanwhile, the total number of COVID-19 recoveries has touched 1,02,28,753 with 17,411 recoveries registered in the last 24 hours, while the active cases in the country stands at 2,08,012, the ministry said,
With this, the country’s recovery rate has leaped past 96.66 per cent in India, it added.
Furthermore, the country also recorded less than 140 fatalities (137 fatalities) in the last 24 hours after approximately 8 months.
In the past 24 hours, eight States and UTs has reported 72.99 per cent of the total fatalities. “Maharashtra has reported 35 deaths. Kerala also saw a fatality count of 17 while West Bengal reported 10 new deaths,” the statement added.
New Delhi (NVI): Indian Air Force (IAF) and French Air and Space Force are going to conduct a bilateral Air exercise – Ex Desert Knight-21 – at Air Force Station Jodhpur, Rajasthan, from January 20 to 24, 2021, which will mark an important milestone in the Indo-French defence cooperation.
IAF aircraft participating in the exercise will include Mirage 2000, Su-30 MKI, Rafale, IL-78 Flight Refuelling Aircraft, AWACS and AEW&C aircraft, according to a statement released by Ministry of Defence.
About 175 Air Force personnel from the French side will participate with Rafale, Airbus A-330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport, A-400M Tactical Transport aircraft, the statement added.
The exercise is unique as it includes fielding of Rafale aircraft by both sides and is indicative of the growing interaction between the two premier Air Forces.
As part of defence cooperation, India and France have held six editions of Air Exercises named ‘Garuda’, the latest being in 2019 at Air Force Base Mont-de-Marsan, France, the statement further read.
As measures to further the existing cooperation, the two forces have been gainfully utilising available opportunities to conduct ‘hop-exercises’.
The French Air and Space Force deployment while ferrying to Australia for Ex Pitchblack in 2018 was hosted by IAF at Air Force Stations Agra and Gwalior for exercise with fighters and MRTT aircraft.
Presently, the French detachment for Ex Desert Knight-21 is deployed in Asia as part of their ‘Skyros Deployment’ and will ferry in forces to Air Force Station Jodhpur, Defence Ministry added.
As the two detachments commence their air exchange from January 20 onwards, they will put into practice operational experience gained across terrains and spectrums and endeavour to exchange ideas and best practices to enhance interoperability.
