NEW DELHI, Oct 31: With 1,326 people testing positive for coronavirus infection in a day, India’s tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 4,46,53,592, while the active cases declined to 17,912, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday.
The death toll climbed to 5,29,024 with eight fatalities which includes five deaths reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated.
The active cases comprise 0.04 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate increased to 98.78 per cent, the ministry said.
A decrease of 405 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.
The daily positivity rate was recorded at 1.59 per cent while the weekly positivity rate was recorded at 1.08 per cent, according to the ministry.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to
4,41,06,656, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.18 per cent.
According to the ministry, 219.63 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive.
India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.
The country crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23 last year. It crossed the four-crore mark on January 25 this year.
Three deaths were reported in a span of 24 hours with one each from Maharashtra, Mizoram and Uttar Pradesh. (Agencies)
India records 1,326 new Covid-19 cases, active tally declines to 17,912
25,000 officers making field visits across J&K: LG
Budgam: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Sunday said that 25,000 officers were making field visits across J&K and called upon the officers to bridge the gap between public expectations and the government’s delivery mechanism.
An official spokesman in a statement issued here said that addressing an event in connection with the ongoing Back to Village IV (B2V4) programme at Sheikhpura area of central Kashmir’s Budgam district, the LG said that B2V was the government’s endeavour to realise the vision of Gram Swaraj and facilitate communication, cooperation, and coordination between the government and the people.
He said that more than 25,000 officers were making field visits across J&K to receive feedback from the public on various schemes being implemented by the government.
The LG said that the visiting officers would ensure 100 percent saturation of welfare schemes and achieve the targets of self-employment and skill development.
He said that the progress and prosperity of the common man, doorstep delivery of government services, and establishing of peace were the priorities of the government.
The LG said that for decades, corruption flourished in service delivery and widened the gap between people’s expectations and implementation.
“It is our utmost duty, our ultimate responsibility to bridge the gap between public expectations and government delivery mechanism. We are determined to bring transparency, accountability, and inclusiveness in the governance system to meet the people’s aspirations,” he said.
The LG said that with deliverables reaching the doorsteps of the people, every officer, common citizen, and public representative who were the driving forces of good governance must turn this B2V initiative into an opportunity for economic development and social change of rural J&K.
“This spirit of B2V should be nurtured and further strengthened in our culture to make J&K a living example of equal rights and equal opportunities,” he said.
The LG said that the action-oriented deliverables of B2V4 with the realistic assessment of the ground realities were aimed at connecting youth with self-employment and skill development programmes, strengthening the foundation of Panchayati Raj institutions, making every panchayat drug-free and ensuring that the last man in the queue reaps the benefit of government schemes.
He said that the J&K government had brought a new revolution in youth empowerment in the last two years.
“From job seekers, today our youth have become job providers,” the LG said.
He assured support and financial assistance for every youth who aspires to be an entrepreneur and wants to start his or her business enterprise.
“Under the ongoing B2V programme, we have set a target to identify 15 youth from every panchayat for self-employment assistance and 20 youth from every panchayat for skill training,” the LG said. He urged the public representatives to play an important role in making the youth a partner in the development process, besides building a harmonised society.
“Peace is the only way to usher into a bright and prosperous future. Society must identify and isolate the divisive forces and their sympathisers who, on behalf of the neighboring country are trying to create a sense of fear by targeting innocent civilians,” the LG said.
He asked the visiting officers to take feedback from the people regarding the functioning of Village Level Workers and Patwari offices.
The LG also underlined the need to make collective efforts towards achieving Nasha Mukt and Swachh Panchayats.
He appealed to the youth to not get addicted to online gaming and further called for spreading awareness against online gambling.
Rains likely in plains, snowfall in upper reaches from Monday night: MeT
Srinagar: While most places in Kashmir recorded below-normal minimum temperatures on Sunday, Meteorological Department officials here said that a fresh Western Disturbance (WD) was likely to affect J&K from Monday night that would result in rains in plains and snowfall in the upper reaches.
“A fresh Western Disturbance is likely to affect J&K and adjoining regions from the night of October 31. Under the influence of this system, light to moderate rain in plains and light snowfall over middle and higher reaches of J&K is most likely during October 31 night to November 1 late afternoon,” MeT Director Sonam Lotus said here. “Thereafter cloudy weather is expected during November 1 evening to November 4 afternoon with the possibility of light rain and snow at isolated places.” Lotus said that two more back-to-back WDs were likely to affect J&K and adjoining areas from November 4 afternoon to November 8 afternoon.
“Under the influence of these systems, light to moderate rain and snow in plains and light to moderate snowfall over middle and higher reaches of J&K is most likely during this period,” he said adding that there would be a drastic fall in day temperatures and days would be colder.
Lotus said that the snowfall and low temperatures might lead to temporary disruption of surface transportation, mainly over Zojila Pass, Mughal Road, and Sadna Top.
He urged the farmers to harvest their agricultural produce including fruits that are prone to damage in snowfall and low temperatures.
“Carry necessary pruning of trees and drain out excess water from the orchards,” Lotus said.
Gujarat bridge collapse: Death toll rises to 141
Morbi (Gujarat), October 31: The death toll in the Morbi hanging bridge collapse incident increased to 141, Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi said on Monday.
The Gujarat Home Minister further informed that a criminal case has been registered in connection with the incident.
“An investigation has begun today under the leadership of Range IGP,” Sanghavi said. Everyone worked all through the night. The Navy, NDRF (National Disaster Relief Force), Air Force and Army arrived at the spot quickly. More than 200 persons have worked the entire night for search and rescue operations,” Sanghavi said.
Teams including Army, Navy, Air Force, NDRF, and Fire Brigade conducted a search operation throughout the night to find the Garkaw victims in Macchu river after the bridge collapsed, as per officials.
After the incident, Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel, Minister of State for Home Affairs Harshbhai Sanghvi, Minister Brijeshbhai Merja, and Minister of State Shri Arvindbhai Raiyani reached the incident spot at midnight and personally observed the rescue operation and gave directions.
According to the details from the district administration, after the mishap, the system was immediately activated and rescue operations started with the help of locals.
Besides this, teams from other places also started arriving at the spot. Around 40 doctors from various health centres, Rajkot PDU Hospital and Surendranagar Civil Hospital started emergency treatment of the injured at the Morbi Civil Hospital.
After the collapse of the bridge, the Rajkot Municipal Corporation boat and rescue materials including life jackets reached Morbi and started the rescue operation.
Emergency ambulances from Rajkot, Jamnagar, Junagadh Metropolitan Municipality and Morbi Municipality were running throughout the night to bring the injured to the hospital immediately. Several private ambulances were also involved in the rescue operation. Army team from Surendranagar joined with its three ambulances and equipment, informed the officials. (AGENCIES)
DAP Doda West holds preparatory meet for Ghulam Nabi Azad’s Visit.
A preparatory meeting of Democratic azad party leaders of Doda west was held todayto welcome the DAP Chief Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad. Meeting was held at DAP Party office Khellani which was attended by several leaders and followers of Azad.The meeting was organised under the leadership of Ramesh Parihar, Senior Leader of Democratic Azad Party.
He added that as stated by our beloved Leader Azad Sahib the DAP will be based on the principles of democracy.It will have independent thinking and will stay independent in its decisions. It will not be autocratic and power will not be in one hand,”
Azad will arrive Srinagar on 31st October and will hold public meetings from 6th November onwards. Azad will visit three areas of Doda west assembly constituency viz Assar, Kastigarh and Khellani
It was unanimously decided in the meeting that equal representation should be given to both the provinces of Jammu and Kashmir UT. Those who attended the meeting include Ashraf Ali Shiekh, Salinder kumar, Mubarakh Ali Khan, Swami Raj, Ghulam Ali, Om Prakash, Mohammad Haleem, Master Gouri Lal, Mohammad Ashraf and others.
Javed Iqbal Chowdhary- A cop and fitness icon of J&K
Javed Iqbal Chowdhary, grandson of renowned wrestler of Haji Fakar Din, is a cop and a public figure of J&K. Popularly he is also known as Jeda- The Cop.
Jeda is serving J&K Police from the last 12 years in different wings of police like Special Operation group Jammu, Bomb Disposal Squad, Security wing and had worked in various police stations. Javed is also a fitness freak, nutritionist and content creator and is famous for workout routines, video-blogging and is also known as “Singham Cop of J&K”. He not only follow his passion of fitness but also inspire youth to take part in fitness related activities. Being a cop and responsible youth icon, he pledged to make society drug free. He guides and motivates youth to build an organic and steroid free body.
He has been awarded for his outstanding achievements, accomplishments and was adjudged as best shooter (Best marksman) of 2010 SI batch of J&K and awardedby the then chief minister of state Mr Omar Abdullah. With the help of his supportive seniors, he usually take part in events where he encouraging youth to pursue their dreams and also guides how to tackle the obstacles in the journey of success. His flaunting muscles and shining stars on uniform inspire thousands of youth to join the police services and take part in fitness and health.
He is also known as the blogger cop as he makes very fascinating and creative content on social media. In this cyber era, people like Jeda using social media in a productive way to inspire people with his workout routines and creative outlook. Jeda has a secret love and it is none other than his favourite coffee. He love cafe hopping and has been into most of the cafes of town. He is very particular about his coffee as coffee keeps him alert all the time.
South Kashmir sees spurt in number of drug abusers, figure of abusers visiting facility likely to increase: Officials
Srinagar, Oct 29: BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh, who is also party incharge of J&K , prime Minister Narendra Modi fulfilled the dream of former prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee the day Article 370 was abrogated.
Speaking to Media , the BJP leader Tarun Chug said abrogation of Article 370 and 35(A) was the dream of Shyama Prasad Mukherjee and Atal Behari Vajpayee. “Late Shyama Prasad Mukherjee launched Ek Nishan, Ek Vidhan, Ek Pradhan movement in 1950 along with Late Vajpayee. The duo used their strenuous efforts to take the mission forward. However PM Modi abrogated the Article 370 & 35(A) on August 5, 2019 and thus accomplished their dream”, Chugh said.
Responding to former chief minister of J&K Omar Abdullah who in an interview to electronic media had said there is vast difference in approach of Late Vajpayee and PM Narendra Modi as Vajpayee Jee had adopted pro-Kashmir dogma of Insaniyat, Jamhooriyat and Kashmiryat. But today is reverse. I am sure snow will melt and spring will come”, Omar had said.
While criticizing NC vice president, the BJP leader said that Omar Abdullah is frustrated with the arrival of BJP in J&K, as the business of his party’s Shahi Dawa Khana got closed. He said Omar and his father always played in the hands of Pakistan ISI and kept people of J&K to fight each other depriving them of every basic right.
“Both father and son have become frustrated who are speaking trash. With the arrival of BJP in J&K, the NCs Shahi Dawa Khana got closed whose sole and fundamental aim was to keep people of Jammu and Kashmir to fight each other”, he said.
He also said NC’s three generations have looted every resource of J&K and filled their own coffers with gold and diamond, but deprived locals from even basic facilities. “These leaders have been rejected as masses came to know their double speak and their anti-national ploys, he added.
South Kashmir sees spurt in number of drug abusers, figure of abusers visiting facility likely to increase: Officials
SRINAGAR: In a worrying trend, South Kashmir districts are seeing a fresh spurt in the number of drug addicts while fewer drug abusers are visiting the drug de-addiction facilities set up by the government, officials said.
Health officials, wishing not to be named said around one percent of the total drug abusers are turning up to addiction treatment facilities functional in all hospitals of J&K and the number is minuscule in southern districts.
Figures suggest that the addiction treatment facility at GMC Anantnag in 2020 recorded arrivals of 267 drug abusers in year 2020 followed by 638 in the year 2021 and over 400 visits in the ensuing year.
Dr Mansoor Dar, Assistant Professor Department of Psychiatry GMC Anantnag told that 90 percent of drug abusers visiting the ATF facility Anantnag are heroin abusers and around 65 percent of the heroin abusers are Intravenous Drug Abusers (IVDA) who are prone to HIV and hepatitis.
He said that most drug abusers don’t visit these facilities due to social stigma and even around 40 percent of the drug abusers visiting ATF don’t follow up due to financial and other issues.
Even there are 30-40 percent chances of relapse among those who completely follow up treatment due to peer group, economic and employment issues, he said, adding that, as a doctor they count the number of drug free years of such persons and due to relapse doctor feels dejected.
He said that the majority of people involved in drug addiction are of the 15-30 age group and the main reasons behind it are peer pressure, drug availability and modelling etc.
It is unfortunate that when a person uses drugs for years together, parents remain unaware and till then there is no social stigma, however, when a person decides to leave it, there comes the stigma, he said, adding that, when a person decides to quit an addiction, he needs support and encouragement which most of them, parents, friends and friends don’t do.
When society has failed to stop youth from taking drugs, we need to help them, remain emphatic towards them and stigma is to be accepted by patients, family and the treating doctor, he said.
Parents need to be more vigilant and take care of their children fully so as to keep them away from drug menace and they need to support children to get rid of it when they somehow get involved in any kind of addiction, he said.
Unscheduled power cuts back in Kashmir; consumer seek LG Sinha’s intervention
SRINAGAR: While Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL) is yet to announce the power curtailment schedule officially, consumers from different parts of the Valley are complaining of pesky power cuts and low voltage.
The residents of various parts of Kashmir sought LG Manoj Sinha’s immediate intervention stating that “we want to know why the power department has resorted to unscheduled morning and evening cuts despite LG’s assurances of providing uninterrupted power supply during winter.”
The residents from different areas of Srinagar including Naseem Bagh, Malbagh, Habak, Kanipora, Zaffran Colony, Kangan Sub Division in Ganderbal and other areas said that the electricity plays hide and seek ahead of the winters while the low voltage has caused immense hardships to them.
“Although there has been no power curtailment schedule by the government, one fails to understand why the concerned department has resorted to frequent power cuts,” Mubashir Ahmad, one of the consumers said.
He added that the upgradation of power infrastructure was giving high hopes to the people about the uninterrupted power supply, but the department seems only focussed towards charging hefty sums as the monthly tariff while the mandatory supply like in the past has gone for a toss yet again.
“We have been going through the statements of the administration about uninterrupted power supply for the last two years now, but it seems the power woes in Kashmir would continue to haunt the people always as the frequent power cuts continue to push the people to the wall,” another consumer from Zaffran Colony, Srinagar said. He said that during evening hours, there is a curtailment from 7 to 8 pm and then again from 9 to 10 pm.
“Similar curtailment is being done during morning hours. It is either 8 am to 9 am or 10 am to 11 am. This is really strange. Winter is yet to start and there is no official announcement on the power curtailment schedule. We fail to understand why such irritating power cuts take place,” said Adil Bashir, a consumer from the Sonwar area of the city, adding that LG Manoj Sinha must intervene and seek a report on the issue as this all is happening despite his assurances and directions.
He further added that besides the frequent power cuts, the low voltage is further adding to their miseries. “The voltage in our locality remains too low nowadays. We don’t understand for what reasons, we are being supplied the electricity as it is of no use at all,” he said.
Chief Engineer, KPDCL, Javed Yousuf Dar, said that the fresh curtailment schedule is to be announced after November 10, but claimed that the power cuts are the outcome of ongoing works like the upgradation of transmission lines, branch cuttings and other things.
MHA to declare ‘Union Home Minister’s Special Operation Medal-2022’ on Sardar Patel’s birth anniversary
New Delhi, October 29: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is all set to announce ‘Union Home Minister’s Special Operation Medal-2022’ on the occasion of National Unity Day on October 31, the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
The award will be declared on October 31 morning when the country will be celebrating a large-scale ‘Run For Unity’ event to mark the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who is known as the Iron Man of India.
An official internal order issued by the Police Division-I of the MHA earlier this week mentioned that “Union Home Minister’s Special Operation Medal” for the year 2022 will be declared on October 31, 2022 as per schedule”
In this regard, the order reads, the National Informatics Centre (NIC) has been requested to depute a suitable representative on October 31 to upload the declared award on MHA’s website by 9.30 am.
Instituted by the MHA on July 23, 2018, ‘Union Home Minister’s Special Operation Medal’ is conferred to state and Union Territory (UT) Police Forces, Central Police Organizations (CPOs), Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Security organizations throughout India to recognize only those operations, which have a high degree of planning, high significance for the security of the country, state and UT and have a significant impact on the security of large sections of the society.
The award is conferred for special operations in the areas such as terrorism, border action, arms control, prevention of narcotics smuggling and rescue operations.
All recommendations for the award is sent to the MHA within three months of the special operation.
A committee in MHA screen all the nominations and recommend for award. Director Intelligence Bureau is a member of the selection committee under the Chairmanship of Home Secretary, and two Directors General of Police of states and UTs by rotation in alphabetical order and one Director General of a CAPF by rotation (the larger organisation are given preference) in the committee every year. The Union Home Minister is the competent authority to approve the final list of awardee recommended by the Selection Committee of MHA.
A certificate (Scroll) signed by the Union Home Minister is awarded to each winner alongwith the medal.
In a year, only three Special Operations are considered for award. In exceptional circumstances, the award may be given to five Special operations only to encourage state and UT police. (Agencies)