NEW DELHI, Nov 20: President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday expressed optimism that the international community was very close to finding a solution to the coronavirus pandemic and will emerge stronger and more resilient from the crisis.
According to an official statement, President Kovind, while addressing an event, remarked that the COVID-19 pandemic necessitates enhanced global cooperation to ensure collective health and economic well-being of humankind.
“He further expressed his optimism that the international community was very close to finding a solution to the pandemic and will emerge stronger and more resilient from the crisis,” the statement issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan said.
In a virtual ceremony, Kovind accepted credentials from the Hungarian envoy Andras Laszlo Kiraly, High Commissioner of the Maldives Hussain Niyaaz, Ambassador of Chad Soungui Ahmed and Ambassador of Tajikistan Lukmon.
On the occasion, the President conveyed his good wishes to the envoys on their appointment, the statement said.
He noted that India enjoys warm and friendly relations with all the four countries and that the ties were deeply rooted in a common vision of peace and prosperity, it said.
Kovind also thanked their governments for supporting India’s candidature for the non-permanent seat of UN Security Council for the term 2021-22, the statement said. (PTI)
International community will emerge stronger: Kovind
ARTO suspended
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 20: The Government today placed Incharge ARTO, Kishtwar, Ramesh Samotra under suspension for not complying to the Government order.
Official sources said that under Govt order No. 35-JK(TR) of 2020 dated 27-7-2020, Romesh Kumar Samotra I/C ARTO Reasi was transferred and posted as I/C ARTO Kishtwar, relieving I/C ARTO Doda of the additional charge of the post. In the same order, it was mentioned that all the transferees were deemed to have been relieved with immediate effect.
But Samotra instead of joining his new place of posting, approached CAT and brought stay by allegedly mis-representing facts. Commissioner/ Secretary to the Government, Hirdesh Kumar Singh taking serious note of the issue, pending an inquiry, placed I/C ARTO, Romesh Samotra under suspension and attached him to the office of Regional Transport Officer, Jammu till further orders.
Power shut down
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 20: Chief Engineer (Distribution) JPDCL Jammu has informed that the shutdown of 33 KV line from Khour to Kaleeth is being observed.
During the shutdown, the power supply to Kaleeth, Khour town, Gigral Kharah, Dhanger, Chack Malal, Aizal Mallal and adjoining areas will remain affected on November 21 from 8 am to 3 pm.
Similarly, for laying of HT AB cable at BB-I Feeder, the power supply to Bathindi, Transport Nagar, Fruit Mandi Narwal, Railway Colony and its adjoining areas will remain affected on November 21 from 8 am to 11 am.
Meanwhile, Superintending Engineer (D), JPDCL O&M Circle Kathua has informed that for shifting of HT/LT Line due to road widening at Janglote, the power supply to Janglote-II and PHE feeder will remain affected on November 21, 22, 23, 25, 27 and 28 from 10 am to 3 pm.
Similarly, for thickening of conductor from Rabbit to Dog under IPDS Scheme by Transrail Lighting Ltd, the power supply to Ramgarh Town and adjoining area will remain affected on November 21, 22 and 24 from 10 am to 3 pm.
However, according to Superintending Engineer, O&M Circle Jammu, JPDCL, to carry out work of tree branch cutting underneath their line corridor and tightening of jumpers, the power supply to Sector 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 5A Trikuta Nagar, Adarsh Enclave, Marbel Market Enclave, 1A East Extension and their adjoining areas being fed from JDA-05, JDA-09 and TRN-2 N-9 feeders will remain affected on November 21 from 8 am to 11 am and 11 am to 2 pm.
Similarly, the power supply to Sector 1, 2, 3, 4 Trikuta Nagar and their adjoining areas being fed from TRN-1 feeder will remain affected on November 23 from 8 am to 11 am.
Likewise, the power supply to Easy Day Lane, 2 Extension, Sector-2, Trikuta Nagar, Sector-3, 3 Extension, Basant Vihar, Trikuta Nagar and their adjoining areas being fed from TRN-3 and TRN-4 feeders will remain affected on November 24 from 8 am to 11 am and 11 am to 2 pm.
Similarly, the power supply to Adarsh Enclave, Parveen Colony, 1A Extension, 1A East Extension, South Extension and their adjoining areas being fed from TRN-5 and TRN-6 feeders will remain affected on November 25 from 8 am to 11 am and 11 am to 2 pm.
Murmu elected IPU Auditor
NEW DELHI, Nov 20:
The Comptroller & Auditor General of India Girish Chandra Murmu has been elected as External Auditor of Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU), Geneva for three years, an official statement said today.
Murmu will assume the position shortly by taking charge from Supreme Audit Institution of Switzerland.
The election took place at the virtual meeting of the 284th session of the IPU which is a 179 countries Parliamentarians body, also having 13 associate members.
The IPU has permanent observer status at the United Nations General Assembly.
The CAG of India has been the external auditor of various international organisations, the statement said.
The CAG of India has earlier also been on the UN Board of Auditors from 1993 to 1999 and 2014 to 2020. Presently, he is the external auditor of the World Health Organisation, Geneva and Food and Agriculture Organisation, Rome.
In the recent past, he has been the External Auditor of the World Food Programme, World Intellectual Property Organization, International Atomic Energy Agency, UN World Tourism Organization, International Organization for Migration, International Maritime Organization, Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
With their wide experience in the audit of UN and its agencies and other International Organizations, the auditors of the CAG of India would assist the IPU in bringing about greater transparency, efficiency, economy and effectiveness in its operations by focussing their audit thrust on key risk areas within the IPU, it added.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is a global inter-parliamentary institution established in 1889 by France & UK. It was the first permanent forum for political multilateral negotiations.
Initially, the organisation was for individual parliamentarians but has since transformed into an international organisation of the Parliaments of sovereign states.
The IPU facilitates parliamentary diplomacy and empowers Parliaments and parliamentarians to promote peace, democracy and sustainable development around the world. (PTI)
Committee to prevent pollution in Doodh Ganga formed
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 20: The J&K Government today ordered constitution of a Committee to prevent pollution of Doodh Ganga Stream and Doodh Ganga Filtration Plant in Kashmir.
The Government order in this regard stated that the Committee will be headed by Divisional Commissioner Kashmir as its chairman and it will have seven more members.
Among these seven members are Director Urban Local Bodies Kashmir, Commissioner Srinagar Municipal Corporation, Deputy Commissioner Bugdam, Chief Engineer UEED Kashmir, Chief Engineer Jal Shakti Department Kashmir, Chief Conservator of Forests Kashmir and Regional Director Pollution Control Board Kashmir.
The Committee will prepare an action plan with timelines to prevent pollution of the Doodh Ganga Filtration Plant and it will synchronize and monitor the action plan.
Apart from this the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir shall be Nodal Officer to apprise the Court on the Action Plan as per the Court directions.
Various activities being undertaken for promotion of tourism: Sarmad
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Nov 20: Secretary, Tourism, Culture & Youth Services & Sports, Sarmad Hafiz today said the department is taking all steps to redress the issues of tourism stakeholders even as various promotional activities have been undertaken since the unlocking for tourism sector began in Jammu & Kashmir.
Interacting with various deputations of tourism stakeholders who met him here today, Sarmad Hafiz informed the deputations that ever since the tourism sector was thrown open in the unlocking process, the department has initiated series of events aimed at tourism promotion which has generated a good number of queries for coming winter season. He said the department is planning many such activities in coming months also as the COVID situation improves.
Terming houseboats as the icon of local heritage, the Tourism Secretary advised the unit holders to maintain the heritage quotient of their units and not fall prey to the rush of change and modernity. He said the department is planning events in coming months to promote this unique asset of the sector.
Deputations of Kashmir Houseboat Owners Association (KHBOA), Nigeen Tourist Trade Association (NTTA) and other representatives of tourism trade met the Tourism Secretary. They apprised him about their problems and sought their redressal.
Earlier, Sarmad Hafiz reviewed the functioning of offices of the Tourism Department outside Jammu & Kashmir in a meeting of officers of the Department. He impressed upon the Tourist officers manning these offices to remain in close liaison with the local tour & travel industries and apprise the Department about the emerging travel preferences in their local markets from time to time.
Director, Tourism, Kashmir, Nisar Ahmad Wani and other senior officers were present on the occasion.
Advisor Bhatnagar directs for smooth implementation of DILRMP
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 20: Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar today chaired a meeting to review the overall performance of Revenue Department and progress on Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP) at Civil Secretariat.
The meeting was attended by Financial Commissioner Revenue, Shaleen Kabra; Additional Secretary, Revenue Department, Special Secretary, Deputy Secretary and other concerned officials of the revenue department.
During the course of the meeting, Advisor Bhatnagar took a detailed overview of the performance of the department and also reviewed the status of work on scanning and digitalization of revenue records under DILRMP in Jammu and Kashmir.
Speaking on the occasion, Advisor Bhatnagar stressed upon the officials that the process of digitisation of land records under DILRMP should be accelerated as it will bring transparency in land record holdings besides help in facilitating general public for getting revenue documents smoothly.
He impressed upon the officials to prepare a proper roadmap and action plan for successful implementation of DILRMP in entire Jammu and Kashmir besides proper mechanism of checks and balances should be put in place before the digitisation of entire revenue records.
Advisor also enquired about the status of Data Centre and Servers established for smooth implementation of DILRMP and directed them for constant monitoring of the centre besides increasing the capacity of holding data as and when required.
He further directed the officials to fill in the vacancies of Tehsildars and Naib Tehsildars at the earliest so that all services and various certificates should be provided as per the timelines specified under the Public Services guarantee Act. to the general public.
Speaking on the occasion, FCR, Shaleen Kabra informed the meeting that till date 660.41 Lakh (6,60,40,740) Revenue Documents (99.08%) have been scanned and preserved in a retrievable form as legacy data base against a target of 666.54 Lakh (6,66,54,828) while as 52,014 Old Village Revenue Maps (Mussavis) (97.57%) have been scanned and preserved in retrievable form out of a total 53,311 under the DILRMP.
He further informed the Advisor that the department is regularly updating the revenue records and as of now, Jamabandis (Record of Rights) of 5746 Panchayat Halqas has been written and for the rest Halqas it is going on while as Girdawari (Harvest Inspection) has been completed in most of the Halqas.
The FCR further informed the Advisor that the process of scanning of revenue records has been expedited and the targets have been set to complete the scanning and digitisation process in a time bound manner.
Liquid Medical Oxygen plant functional at GMC
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 20: The Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) Plant at the Government Medical College Hospital was today made functional in order to strengthen the oxygen supply for the COVID patients as well as non COVID patients admitted in the hospital.
The installation of such a vital equipment, first of its kind in the Union Territory, will be beneficial in order to meet any exigency in the near future. With the installation of LMO, Govt Medical College Jammu is now well equipped to manage the COVID and non COVID patients of the Union Territory as well as from other states.
Presently the oxygen supply to critical patient care areas was being managed through the manifold system which required oxygen cylinders for its functioning.
The LMO installed under the guidance of Financial Commissioner, Health and Medical Education, Atal Dulloo was completed well before the deadline. The FC congratulated the officers of the Medical College Jammu, Mechanical and Civil Engineering wing of GMC, Jammu.
The works were completed under the direct supervision of Dr Shashi Sudan Sharma, Principal GMC Jammu. She congratulated the efforts of Dr. Harjeet Rai, Incharge Oxygen Plant and executive agencies for timely completion of the project.
LMO is having a capacity of 20 KL and the agency will ensure regular and uninterrupted supply of Liquid Medical Oxygen to cater to the requirement of the GMC Hospital Jammu. The total Capex for installation of LMO is 58.01 lacs and its operational cost 234.29 lacs till ending March 2021.
Positivity rate points at decreasing COVID spread in Delhi: Jain
NEW DELHI, Nov 20: The gradual reduction in the number of new COVID-19 cases and the positivity rate is a “clear indicator” that the spread of the virus is decreasing in the national capital, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said on Friday.
The minister announced that government rates would apply for the normal, non-ICU beds reserved in private hospitals by the Delhi government for COVID-19 patients.
“The positivity rate was 15.26 per cent on November 7. It is less than 11 per cent now. The maximum number of cases (8,593) were reported on November 10,” Jain said.
“The positivity rate has come down and the number of cases is also reducing gradually. It is a clear indicator that the spread of the virus is decreasing in Delhi,” he told reporters.
The average death rate across the country is 1.48 per cent, and in Delhi, it is 1.57 per cent, Jain said, adding that it was around 3.50 per cent in June. There is no harm in wearing a face mask inside a car, the minister said, appealing to the people of the city to ensure that they don’t step outside without wearing one. (PTI)
Jain said 2,644 normal beds and 260 ICU beds “extra” would be made available for COVID-19 patients in private hospitals after the government issued directions in this regard on Thursday.
The national capital reported 7,456 coronavirus cases on Thursday and the positivity rate was at 12.09 percent.
The AAP government on Thursday announced sweeping measures, including a steep Rs 2,000 fine for not wearing masks, reservation of 80 per cent ICU beds in private hospitals, doubling testing centres in every district and postponement of non-critical surgeries at health facilities.
Private hospitals have also been directed to increase the percentage of non-ICU COVID-19 beds from 50 per cent to 60 per cent.
The government also said it will increase the number of RT-PCR test to 27,000 a day in the national capital and MBBS students and interns will be engaged to tackle the COVID-19 situation. (PTI)
NC seeks deferment of election to post of SMC Mayor
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Nov 20: Jammu and Kashmir National Conference contesting candidates in SMC elections on Friday filed a complaint challenging the issuance of notification for the conduct of elections to the post of Mayor by Secretary SMC.
Terming the SMC move a gross violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), party’s contesting candidates Nuzhat Ara and Ali Muhammad Magray today wrote to officials responsible for the adherence of the MCC, asking them to take cognizance of the issue.
The two candidates running for the post of councilors from various wards in the upcoming bye-elections in a written complaint to Chief Electoral Officer J&K, and District Electoral Officer Srinagar said that the holding of a meeting of councilors for the purpose of electing the Mayor, while the bye-elections are about to commence was a manifest violation of the MCC in place for the bye-elections to various wards of municipality in Srinagar.
“The present indirect election of the Mayor election that is slated to be held on the November 25, 2020 with not only entail the meeting of councilors and corporation but the outcome of the election, if not deferred, would unfairly prejudice the contesting candidates and the candidates seen in close proximity to the winning mayoral candidate would get unfair advantage thereby altering the level playing field as available to the contesting candidates”, the complaint letter reads.
They urged the concerned to take action including deferment of the election to the post of Mayor of SMC till such time results of the bye-elections are declared. “As a failure to pass appropriate directions deferring the impugned elections within a period of 24 hours from the date of receipt of this complaint would compel the claimants to take to appropriate legal remedy as may be available,” the complaint reads.