Category: National

PTI

Pakistan’s National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf said on Wednesday that it was India’s responsibility to start the dialogue with Islamabad by “reversing” its actions in Jammu and Kashmir. India abrogated the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 on August 5, 2019 and bifurcated it into two Union territories.

According to an official statement, Yusuf briefed the Senate Committee on Defence & National Security on Pakistan’s role in the changing regional scenario, Pakistan-American relations, Pakistan-India relations and the impact of the evolving situation in Afghanistan following the American military’s exit. “The onus was on India to start the dialogue process after reversing the wrongs” in Kashmir, Yusuf said, referring to the August 5, 2019 decision.

India has maintained that the issue related to Article 370 of the Indian Constitution was entirely an internal matter of the country. India has made it clear to Pakistan that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Islamabad in an environment free of terror, hostility and violence.

Pakistan had downgraded ties with India and suspended trade after the Indian government revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. Talking about ties with the US, Yusuf said a broad-based roadmap is being developed for Pak-American relations which includes cooperation in commerce and trade, investment including vaccine manufacturing, climate change and military-to-military relations as well as promoting regional economic connectivity.

Regarding Afghanistan, he said Pakistan’s perspective is very clear in promoting an inclusive political settlement with a view to ensure that Afghan territory is not used against Pakistan and Pakistan to ensure his commitment that its territory will not be used against any country. “The international community is also being informed about Pakistan’s concerns about the potential fallout of the Afghan crisis particularly in the new influx of refugees, he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Jaipur, Jul 13: A man allegedly killed his father for slapping his son in Rajasthan’s Banswara district, police said on Tuesday.

The man, Jayanti, allegedly beat up his father in Jadi village of Tandvadla gram panchayat on Sunday night, they said.

Vesta (50) had slapped his eight-year-old grandson for misbehaving with him. Angered by it, the child asked a neighbour to call his father, who works as a labourer in Gujarat, Kushalgarh Station House Officer (SHO) Pradeep Kumar said.

The grandfather died on Monday, he said.

The post-mortem has been conducted and the report is awaited, the SHO said, adding that the accused was arrested on Tuesday.

He said it seems that the man died of some internal injuries as he was probably hit hard.

The accused told police he did not know that his father would die due to the injuries. He said he had thought of taking his father to hospital the next morning as they lived in a hilly area, but he had died by then.

Police said Jayanti’s son was living with his grandparents in Rajasthan whereas rest of his family and the brother’s family lived in neighbouring Gujarat for earning their livelihood.

A study by Hyderabad’s AIG Hospitals has claimed that a single dose of COVID-19 vaccine is sufficient for those already infected by the disease before.

The hospital said it conducted a study on 260 healthcare workers who got vaccinated between January 16 and February 5 to assess the immunological memory response in all those patients. All patients were given the Oxford-Serum vaccine Covishield.

Two significant observations came out of the study, which has been published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases, a peer-reviewed journal.

The previously infected group (people who got infected with COVID-19) showed a greater antibody response to a single dose of vaccine compared with those who had no prior infection.

It also revealed that Memory T-cell responses elicited by a single dose of vaccine were significantly higher in the previously infected group compared with those who had no prior infection.

It was concluded that higher memory T and B-cell responses in addition to higher antibody response with a single dose of vaccine given at 3-6 months after recovery from COVID-19 may be considered at par with two doses of vaccine for individuals already infected with COVID-19.

“The results show that people who got infected with COVID-19 need not take two doses of vaccine yet with a single dose can develop robust antibody and memory cell response at par with two-doses for those who didn’t get the infection.

This will significantly help at a time when there’s a shortage of vaccine in the country and more people can be covered using the saved doses,” said Dr. D Nageshwar Reddy, Chairman, AIG Hospitals, and one of the co-authors in the study.

“Once we attain the requisite number of people vaccinated for achieving herd immunity, these patients who got infected and received only one dose can take the second dose of the vaccine.

At this point, all our strategies should be directed at the widespread distribution of available vaccines and to include the maximum number of people at least with a single dose,” he added.

During the second Covid wave when cases were growing exponentially; the vaccination rate took a downturn. As of April 27, when the growth rate of active infection was 5%, the growth of vaccinated people was just 1.4 per cent.

“We need to modify vaccination strategy based on scientific evidence and with the objective that a larger set of the population can be covered in the shortest duration,” he said.

WITH IANS INPUTS

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Saturday said revoking Article 370 and reducing the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir was an extremely sad decision and the Congress Party will relook into this issue.
Speaking in Club House chat, Digvijaya Singh said, “Democracy was not there in Kashmir. When they revoked Article 370 then Insaniyat was not there because they had put everyone behind bars. Kashmiriyat is something that is basically the fundamentals of secularism. Because in a Muslim majority state, there was a Hindu Raja and both were together. Kashmiri Pundits were given Reservation in Kashmir in government services. So therefore the decision of revoking Article 370 and reducing the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir is an extremely sad decision. And the Congress Party would certainly have to have a relook into this issue.”
Following the Congress leader’s remarks, BJP IT cell in-charge Amit Malviya alleged that Digvijaya’s statement goes along the line of Pakistan.
“In a Club House chat, Rahul Gandhi’s top aide Digvijaya Singh tells a Pakistani journalist that if Congress comes to power they will reconsider the decision of abrogating Article 370… Really? This is what Pakistan wants…” tweeted Malviya.
In August 2019, the Centre revoked Article 370, which gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the region into two Union Territories- Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

Srinagar: Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut has said that she could not pay half of her income tax last year due to ‘not getting a job’ last year. However, he said that if the government charges interest on the amount due, he would not have any complaint.

Kangana Ranaut wrote on his Instagram, “Although I fall into the highest tax slab and pay 45% of my income as tax, I am the highest paid actress in India but for the first time in my life. I couldn’t pay my taxes because I couldn’t find a job. “

Actress Kangana Ranaut, who is known for making controversial statements on various issues and calling herself a pioneer of Hindu nationalism, added, “I have been late in paying taxes and the government is charging interest on the remaining amount. “Personally, it can be a difficult time for us, but together we can become stronger than ever,” she wrote.

Kangana Ranaut has been very active on the issue of income tax. She has been expressing concern over the issue of low income taxpayers in the country. She tweeted several times a few months ago after the Income Tax Department raided the office of actress Tapsi Pannu and filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, calling them ‘tax evaders’ and ‘traitors’.

Experts say that Kangana Ranaut’s claim regarding tax seems misleading as the government in India imposes tax only on the basis of annual income and if the actress could not earn an income due to lack of work then why tax her so much. Imposed that they are not in a position to pay it?

Gori Chadha, a chartered accountant who specializes in tax affairs, says, “You will be charged income tax only when you have earned income. The government charges a tax on your last year’s income. You can also pay it as advance tax every three months. But she is talking about last year’s tax. So there is no such thing as advance tax. So she can’t defend herself against paying income tax, saying there was no work and she couldn’t pay.

Another chartered accountant, Virender Yadav, says, “The way Kangana is talking, it seems that she has not been able to pay the full amount of income tax despite the expiry date and the subsequent extension. The tax department has demanded money from them with interest on the remaining tax.

Experts believe that Kangna’s claim of imposing 45% tax on income also seems wrong. Virender Yadav says the highest income tax rate in India is 35.88%. Although some taxes are levied on people with such a high income, the overall income tax rate is not 45%. On the other hand, such people are also given discounts on certain things.

A recent local media report claimed that Kangana Ranaut gifted four magnificent flats to her brothers and sisters in February this year. Their total value is said to be Rs 40 million. It is said that Kangana also spent a lot of money on her brother’s wedding last year. According to media reports, he had spent Rs 60 million on the wedding.

Kangana Ranaut is one of the busiest actors in Bollywood. She is also the first Indian actress to receive the Y-Plus security category of 11 paramilitary personnel.

“Seeds and organic manure are being sent to every house”

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SRINAGAR: On the lines of Green Revolution and White Revolution, the next module of Hariyali Revolution is running after the second wave of covid-19 across the country, the famous environmental Peepal baba’s worker, start running Hariyali Holmes campaign.

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Hariyali Holmes is the next module of Hariyali Revolution. Under this, people are being motivated to plant oxygen-giving plants in their homes by training and providing seed manure. This campaign has been launched in Delhi and NCR by the team of Peepal Baba. Anyone who wants to develop Hariyali Homes can send their address and mobile number by mail to [email protected].

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Peepal Baba’s Hariyali Kranti team will go to there and provide training for developing greenery homes, compost and seeds of oxygen-giving plants are going to be given for free.

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Chief Strategist of Hariyali Kranti Abhiyan, Badrinath says that this campaign started in NCR will be run slowly in every part of the country and people will be motivated to build Hariyali Homes.

After the second wave of Covid-19, the situation changed severely, there was widespread fear in the minds of the people. There was a shortage of oxygen and beds in the country’s hospitals.

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In such a situation, the debate over the continuous supply of oxygen in the country broke out. There have also been reports from many places that where people could not get oxygen, at many places people have sheltered under the Peepal tree. At the same time, Peepala Baba gave the slogan “Prepare for the future”

If plants of low altitude oxygen are planted in every house of the country, then of course the immunity potential of all the people of the country will become very strong, such viruses will have very little effect. If every household takes the resolution to do this and completes the task of building greenery homes, then the health budget in the country can be reduced by up to 70%. (PTK)

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PTI

MUMBAI: Kenya has donated 12 tonnes of food products to India as part of its Covid-19 relief efforts, a statement said on Friday.

The east African country has sent 12 tonnes of tea, coffee and groundnut produced locally to the Indian Red Cross Society, it said adding that the packets will be distributed across Maharashtra with food aid.

“The Government of Kenya wishes to stand in solidarity with the people and Government of India during this time of the Covid-19 pandemic by donating consumable food stuffs,” Willy Bett, high commissioner of the African country to to India, said.

Bett, who came to the financial capital from New Delhi to hand over the food articles, said the donation is directed to the frontline care givers who continue to work long hours to save lives.

Indian Red Cross Society Vice-Chairman (Maharashtra branch) Homi Khusrokhan said the donation symbolises the empathy that the people of Kenya have for the people of India and is re-assuring.

The global community has united to support India that has been affected by the ravages of the second wave of Covid-19.

 (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

– Agencies

Says Covid to stay for generations

BENGALURU: Like the flu, Covid-19 is here to stay for generations, according to the director of the Indian Institute of Public Health Hyderabad, professor GVS Murthy.
Available data from different states suggests that June-end may see a significant downward spiral in Covid-19 cases in south and west India, he said.
“In north and east India, it may be mid-July for a significant decrease in the cases”, Murthy said on Thursday.
Allowing political, social and religious gatherings too early in the life of the pandemic is one of the prime reasons for the rapid fueling of cases in the second wave, according to him.
Despite signals emerging from February that we could see an upswing of cases, prompt public health response was lacking, he said, adding this is because public health professionals have not been engaged in the response.
“In all countries where the Covid-19 response was quick and need-based, there was authority and responsibility vested in the public health leadership. Unfortunately, the same was not seen in India where it was more of a non-public health or political response,” Murthy said.
He said Covid-19 is here to stay with us for a long time.
An infectious agent once introduced into the community, continues to simmer and lead to localised outbreaks.
“Flu has been with us for generations now and the same will be the case with Covid-19,” he said.
He is of the view that outbreaks will occur whenever a large number of people susceptible to the infection are available.
“We know that post the Covid-19 infection, immunity is only for a short duration of 3-6 months, after which the same person is vulnerable to getting reinfected. The reinfection will depend on the viral load to which the susceptible person is exposed to.
We have seen some chief ministers and national leaders also getting infected a second time. So nobody is permanently immune,” Murthy said.
According to him, it will take five to six months for the next Covid-19 wave to occur as, by then, the population immunity will once again wane off.
“So November could again be a worrying time”.
In pandemics, it is the older and more infirm people who succumb first, but with each succeeding wave, more of the middle-aged and younger people, including children, get infected.
This is the danger of the next wave, he said.
“If the country can vaccinate more than 80 per cent of those above 30 years of age by November, we will be able to mount an effective challenge to the spread of Covid,” Murthy said.
At the same time, efforts should be made to field-test available vaccines in children so that if possible, the vaccine can be added to the ‘Universal Programme of Immunisation’ in the country.
He underlined that there needs to be a continued ban on large gatherings till February 2022 if we have to reduce the risk.
Schools and offices can be opened up with adequate precautions.
“If the country does not create a public health cadre with adequate decision-making authority being vested in them, from the district-level onwards, we will always be playing a catch-up game rather than planning proactively with adequate projections and data,” he said. PTI

A video from Gujarat recently went viral in which some men were seen applying cow dung on their bodies, believing it to be a cure for COVID-19.

Gautam Manilal Borisa, associate manager at a pharmaceuticals company, believes the practice helped him recover from COVID-19 last year. He was quoted as saying in a Reuters article, “…even doctors come here. Their belief is that this therapy improves their immunity and they can go and tend to patients with no fear.”

At the Shree Swaminarayan Gurukul Vishwavidya Pratishthanam Gaushala, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, people reportedly smear their bodies with cow dung and urine mixture and let it dry as they hug and honour cows and practise yoga, after which the packs are washed off with milk or buttermilk.

Doctors, however, say there is no evidence to prove cow dung can cure COVID-19.

“As far as evidence-based scientific understanding is concerned, there is no basis in the claim that cow dung prevents or cures COVID-19 — treatment of COVID-19 is still symptomatic and COVID-appropriate behaviour (proper mask-wearing, hand hygiene, and physical distancing) is still the only way to prevent an infection,” Dr Gyan Bharti, Pulmonologist, Columbia Asia Hospital, Ghaziabad, tells indianexpress.com.

In fact, doctors warn that such practice may result in the onset of black fungal infection. “Cow dung cannot cure covid. It a misconception and is misleading. Please do not fall for such a myth. It can result in the onset of the black fungal infection, mucormycosis, and must not be engaged in. The only way to handle the pandemic is to get vaccinated, wear a mask, practice social distancing, and wash hands,” Dr Vikas Maurya, director-pulmonology, Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, added.

With inputs from The Indian Express