Category: National

Srinagar: Supreme Court on Monday rejected a plea seeking ban on Halal form of slaughtering of animals which is adhered to by the Muslim community.

A bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul questioned the intention of the petitioner and also said that the court cannot interfere with the food habits of people.

“Court cannot determine who can be a vegetarian or non-vegetarian. Those who want to eat Halal meat can eat Halal meat. Those who want to eat Jhatka meat can eat Jhatka meat,” the bench which also comprised justice Dinesh Maheshwari said.

The court was hearing a petition filed by an organisation, Akhand Bharat Morcha, challenging Section 28 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.

The said section provides that killing of animals in a manner required by the religion of any community will not be an offence under the act.

Various forms of killing of animals, like Halal in which jugular vein of the animal is severed leading to blood of animal draining out leading to death of animal and Jhatka where animal is killed instantaneously by a single strike of sword to sever the head, are protected by Section 28.

While Halal is practiced by Muslims, Jhatka meat is consumed by Hindus.

The petitioner argued that killing of animals by Halal method is extremely painful for the animal and such exemptions under Section 28 in a secular country should not be allowed.

“Halal is extremely painful. Inhuman slaughter of animals in the name of Halal should not be permitted,” it was submitted.

It was also pointed out that Jhatka does not cause suffering for animals since it dies instantaneously in such a method of slaughter while in Halal, the animal dies a painful death.

The bench, however, declined to entertain the plea. “Your petition is mischievous in character,” the top court said.(KINS)

Srinagar: Stating that in Barzulla, Srinagar encounter, a top Laskar- e-toiba commander from Pakistan and his local associate were killed, Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbagh Singh Monday said in 75 anti-militancy operations this year, 180 militants were killed.

He also added security forces won’t allow militants to establish base in Srinagar and said only one militant who is also involved in series of attacks is active in the city.

Terming Rambagh encounter a “successful” one, DGP commended forces personnel for smooth conduct of operation. “Today’s operation was a successful one. All operations against militants conducted this year were clean and conducted in a professional manner”, Singh according to KINS said. However he maintained that in the recent Batamaloo encounter one woman got killed due to cross fire in a congested locality while all operations conducted so far were conducted in a clean manner and with professionalism.

“The slain commander of LeT killed in Rambagh area this morning was involved in series of attacks on security forces including the recent attacks of Nowgam, Chadoora and Kandizal, Pampore”, DGP who was addressing a press conference in Police Control Room (PCR) Srinagar told media personnel.

Police Chief at the occasion said that on specific tip-off about the presence of militants, security forces this year carried out 75 anti-militancy operations in which 180 militants including foreigners were killed.

In a query whether militants are trying to set their base again in Srinagar city, DGP said “Security forces are alert all the time. We will not allow militants to establish their base in Srinagar.

Whenever any militant outfit tries to establish its base in Srinagar, we successfully corner the militant with the help of our intelligence and other sources”, he said and added “This year eight encounters took place in Srinagar city in which 18 militants including a top Hizb-ul-Mujahideen commander were killed”.

When asked about the figure of active militants in Srinagar city, DGP said at present only one militant is active in the city who too is involved in a couple of attacks on security forces and asserted that the said militant too will be brought to justice very soon.

When asked how many security personnel were killed this year, he said Jammu and Kashmir Police has lost its 19 men while Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) 21 and added Army has lost 15 soldiers among majority was killed at LoC.

Replying to a query as to how many youth were brought back after joining militant ranks this year, DGP said 26 youth who had joined militancy were reunited with their families. “26 youth who had joined militant ranks were brought back with the help of their parents and efforts of police”, DGP said.

When asked whether there is any rehabilitation policy for those shunning the path of militancy, DGP said there is no rehabilitation policy in place for those quitting militancy however he added that whenever there would be any such policy, that will be shared accordingly.

Earlier on a specific input about the presence of militants in Rambagh area of Srinagar, a joint Cordon & Search Operation (CASO) was launched by Police and CRPF in the area, an official said.

He said that during searches, the presence of militants got ascertained who were given the opportunity to surrender after evacuating civilians from the house however they fired indiscriminately upon the search party which retaliated, triggering an encounter.

“During exchange of fire, two militants of LeT outfit were killed and their bodies were retrieved from the site of encounter”, official said and identified the slain militants as Saif-ullah (a top Pakistani LeT commander) and Irshad Ahmad Dar alias Abu Usman of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district. He added Irshad was active since May 2019 and involved in several attacks on Police and security forces.

According to police officials, the dead bodies of killed militants shall be sent to Baramulla for burial after conducting required medico-legal formalities. (KINS)

Srinagar, Oct 12 (KINS): The government Monday said that India continues to report a trend of steadily decreasing active Covid- 19 cases.

“Presently the active cases comprise merely 12.10% of the total positive cases of the country standing at 8,61,853. India is also reporting a high number of recoveries. The total recovered cases are close to 61.5 lakhs (61,49,535). The difference between active cases and recovered cases is consistently increasing and stands at 52,87,682 today,” the government informed as per the news agency KINS.

“71,559 patients have recovered and discharged in the last 24 hours whereas the new confirmed cases are 66,732. The national Recovery Rate has progressed to 86.36%.
77% of the new recovered cases are observed to be concentrated in 10 States/UTs.

Maharashtra and Karnataka contribute more than 10,000 to the single day recovery.
66,732 new confirmed cases were recorded in the last 24 hours” it said.

“81% of these are from 10 States and UTs. Maharashtra is still reporting a very high number of new cases with more than 10,000 cases followed by Karnataka and Kerala with more than 9,000 cases each.

816 case fatalities have been reported in the past 24 hours. Of these, nearly 85% are concentrated in ten States/UTs.

More than 37% of new fatalities reported are from Maharashtra (309 deaths)” (KINS)

Rajnath Singh Monday dedicated 44 major permanent bridges across seven states and Union territories.

He also laid the Foundation Stone for Nechiphu Tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh. These bridges are of strategic importance and provide connectivity to remote areas.

The 44 bridges are spread over seven states / union territories.

According to news agency KINS the dedication ceremony was conducted through a Video Conference in the presence of Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh, Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Bipin Rawat, Chief of Army Staff, Gen MM Naravane and Defence Secretary, Ajay Kumar at New Delhi. Union Minister, Kiren Rijiju, Chief Ministers of Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Sikkim & Uttarakhand, Lt Governor of J&K, with Members of Parliament, civil / military dignitaries along with members of the public at various sites in respective States/ Union Territories attended through a video link.

In his address, Rajnath Singh congratulated DG and all ranks of Border Roads Organisation (BRO) for their achievements and said that dedication of 44 bridges in one go in itself was a record.

Rajnath Singh said in the challenging times of COVID-19 and despite the border tensions and disputes caused by Pakistan and China, the country was not only resolutely facing them but also bringing about historical changes in all sectors of development under the able leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Lauding the BRO for its role in improving the border infrastructure, Rajnath Singh these bridges improved connectivity in the far flung areas of Western, Northern and North East sectors and fulfilled the aspirations of local people. They would also meet the transport and logistics requirements of the armed forces throughout the year, he added.

Raksha Mantri said that roads and bridges are the lifeline of any nation and play a vital role in the socio-economic development of far flung regions. Reiterating the Central Government’s commitment to boost development activities in border areas, he said that progress of all projects is regularly being monitored and adequate funds are being provided for their timely execution.

He said that the annual budget of BRO that varied from Rs 3,300 Crores to Rs 4,600 Crores in 2008-2016, saw a substantial rise and is pegged at over Rs 11,000 Crores in 2020-21. There was no reduction of this budget despite COVID-19.

The Defence Minister also announced that the government has sanctioned high altitude clothing to BRO engineers and workers.

Rajnath Singh also laid the Foundation Stone of the strategically important Nechiphu Tunnel on the road to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.

This 450 mtrs long, bi-lane tunnel would ensure all weather connectivity across Nechiphu Pass besides providing a safe and secure passage through accident prone areas.

Briefing the dignitaries, Lt Gen Harpal Singh, DG BRO, said the 44 bridges of various spans ranging from 30 mtrs to 484 mtrs are located in J&K (10), Ladakh (08), Himachal Pradesh (02), Punjab (04), Uttarakhand (08), Arunachal Pradesh (08) and Sikkim (04). They are of strategic importance and have been designed to facilitate movement of heavy civil & military traffic in border areas.

In line with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, these bridges will contribute towards the overall economic growth of remote border areas and will also assist in speedy deployment of Armed Forces in strategically important sectors.

He said that in addition to expediting road construction, the BRO has laid special emphasis on construction of bridges by completing 28 major bridges last year while 102 major bridges are being completed this year. 54 of these bridges have already been completed. Over 60 Bailey Bridges have also been constructed by BRO to meet immediate requirements of armed forces and people living in remote areas.

BRO has worked relentlessly even during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic restrictions continuing with works of strategic importance like Construction of Major Bridges & Roads, Atal Tunnel Rohtang, Sela Tunnel etc, and Snow Clearance for opening of Strategic Mountain Passes.

In spite of unprecedented snowfall breaking a 60 years record, all strategic passes & roads were cleared for traffic about one month before their average yearly opening dates. This brought relief to people of border areas and ensured rapid & early movement of troops & logistics.(KINS)

Srinagar: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced major schemes to boost demands in the country by nearly 73 thousand crore rupees.

Addressing a media briefing in New Delhi, the minister laid out the details of the fiscally prudent proposals to stimulate demand in the economy.

According to news agency KINS, Sitharaman informed that the new proposals aim at giving a thrust of around 36 thousand crore rupees to the consumer demands by the Leave Travel Concession LTC Voucher and Festival advance scheme.

Additionally she said, 37 thousand crore rupees will be infused in the capital expenditure by the Centre and the State Governments.

Briefing about the schemes, the Minister informed that in lieu of the LTC for the 2018-21 block term, payments will be made to the government employees for their 10 day Leave encashment and eligible travel fare.

She informed, the employees opting for the scheme will have to submit GST invoices for purchase of goods or services amounting to three times the value of travel fare in addition to the value of LTC encashment amount.

She said, the amount has to be spent for goods or services attracting GST of 12 per cent or more from a GST registered vendor.

The Finance Minister informed that the new proposal is likely to cost nearly 5 thousand 675 crore rupees to the Central Government. She said, if the proposals are uniformly implemented by the State governments, an overall additional consumer demand to the tune of 28 thousand crore rupees will be generated.

Under the special festival advance scheme, Nirmala Sitharaman said , an interest free advance of 10 thousand rupees will be made available to all government employees. She said, considering 50 per cent states as well adopt the scheme, it is likely to infuse nearly 8 thousand crore rupees in the demand sector.

In her announcement towards special assistance for states for utilisation under capital expenditure, the Finance Minister informed that special interest free loans with a 50 year repayment term and amounting to 12 thousand crore rupees will be disbursed.

Under the assistance scheme, 2 thousand 500 crore rupees will be given to the North Eastern States and Northern States Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Seven thousand 500 crore rupees will be given to other states in proportion to their share in Finance Commission devolution.

The Minister also announced that an additional amount of 25 thousand crore rupees will be provided by the Centre through capital expenditure on roads, defence infrastructure, water supply, urban development and domestically produced capital equipment. (KINS)

Srinagar: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman chaired the 43rd GST Council meeting through video conferencing in New Delhi.

Official sources told news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS) that the decision on the mode of payment of pending GST compensation share of the states was discussed in the meeting.

“The meeting was attended by Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur and Finance Ministers of States and Union Territories,” sources said.

In the last meeting, Nirmala Sitharaman had assured that States’ Goods and Services Tax revenue shortfall this year either due to GST implementation or due to covid will be met completely.

In the 41st meeting of the GST Council in August, Centre had given two borrowing options to States to meet GST compensation requirement for the current financial year.

States can borrow either 97 thousand crore rupees from a special window facilitated by the RBI or two lakh 35 thousand crore rupees from the market.

The Finance Ministry had said 21 States had opted to borrow 97 thousand crore rupees to meet the GST revenue shortfall.

However, other states did not choose any option and wanted the Centre to borrow and pay the shortfall.(KINS)

A Law Suit has been filed before Delhi High Court by four Bollywood industry Associations & 34 leading Bollywood producers against

• Republic TV
• Arnab Goswami
• Pradeep Bhandari
• Times Now
• Rahul Shivshankar
• Navika Kumar

Those who filed suit include Amir Khan, Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Ajay Devgan etc

PTI

New Delhi: India’s COVID-19 tally went past 71 lakh with 66,732 fresh cases, while the number of people who have recuperated crossed?61 lakh, pushing the recovery rate to 86.36 per cent, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Monday.

The country’s COVID-19 caseload stands at 71,20,538. The death toll climbed to 1,09,150?with the virus claiming 816 lives in a day, the data updated at 8 am showed.

For the fourth day in a row, the number of active COVID-19 cases remained below 9 lakh

There are 8,61,853 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which account for 12.10 per cent of the total caseload, the data showed.

The case fatality rate due to the coronavirus infection has dropped to 1.53 per cent

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23 and 40 lakh on September 5. It went past 50 lakh on September 16, 60 lakh on September 28 and crossed 70 lakh on October 11.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a total of 8,78,72,093 samples had been tested up to October 11. Of these, 9,94,851 samples were tested on Sunday.

The 816 fatalities include 309 from Maharashtra, 75 from Karnataka, 65 from Tamil Nadu, 59 from West Bengal, 41 from Uttar Pradesh, 35 from Punjab, 30 from Andhra Pradesh and 29 from Delhi

Of the total 1,09,150 deaths reported so far in the country, 40,349 are from Maharashtra, 10,252 from Tamil Nadu, 9,966 from Karnataka, 6,394 from Uttar Pradesh, 6,224 from Andhra Pradesh, 5,769 from Delhi, 5,622 from West Bengal, 3,833 from Punjab and 3,566 from Gujarat

The health ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities

“Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research,” the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.

(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Srinagar: Depression is a major talking point in today’s world, but we wouldn’t be wrong to say that there is still a lack of awareness about mental health-related issues in India. On World Mental Health Day, today, we share two real-life testimonials — of a person who’s recovered from depression and another who has been battling depression for long — and how they hope to make people understand the importance of mental health.

‘If family and friends are there for you, it’s half the battle won’

I used to work as an analyst with an MNC, and had a fairly busy life. I grew up in a joint family and when I got married, I moved in with my in-laws. They were supportive of my career.

Everything was going great until nine years ago, when I quit my job to take care of my in-laws. Age had caught up with them, and they needed constant supervision. I didn’t realise when I cut myself off from my friends and gave up on sketching, which I was passionate about.

Within two years, we lost both of them. Soon, I found myself holed up at home, with no job, no friends and a husband and son who had no time for me. I tried applying for other jobs, but nothing materialised. I had become a zombie; there were times when I wouldn’t even realise if someone was speaking to me or if someone had walked into my room. I started hearing my mother-in-law’s voice, would cry out of the blue and just take off on long walks all by myself.

I felt empty from within. It was my mother, who had come to visit me from Erode, who realised something was wrong with me. She spoke to my husband and they took me to a psychiatrist. I attended therapy and on her insistence, picked up the paint brush again. My husband and son, too, started spending time with me. It’s been two years since I started volunteering for an old-age home and a rehabilitation centre for those suffering from depression and other mental disorders.

People should treat mental illness like any other ailment; it needs immediate attention. You needn’t have gone through some major tragedy; even small things, like work pressure or having no one to talk to, can disturb you. If family and friends are patient with you, don’t get annoyed if you keep repeating things and, in all, be there for you, it’s half the battle won.

It’s sad how people are clueless about mental disorders in India’

The year was 2016. I had just moved to Pondicherry from Chennai for my first job. I was in a new city without friends and working for a bad boss. I had just broken up with my boyfriend as well. Everything went downhill from there. I started having these regular bouts of hopelessness, crying spells, apathy and sadness.

I would question my existence and had absolutely no reaction to all that was happening around me. Once, I slept for almost two days straight and my hostel warden began panicking. I began having suicidal thoughts and one day, while returning to my hostel, I deliberately tried crossing the road on which a bus was speeding through.

Though the bus didn’t hit me, the incident jolted me awake and I decided to seek help. I was put on medications. I was afraid to open up to a counsellor. But, I eventually did. During the lockdown, I tried discussing my mental health with my parents, but they thought I was just trying to avoid work. It’s so sad how people are clueless about mental disorders in India! I tried distracting myself by picking up a book to read. But, I wouldn’t be able to go past the first two lines.

Neither was watching movies helping me as I couldn’t focus on anything. Though I am not completely out of the phase yet, I am feeling relatively better than what I did four years ago.

‘Lend people a patient ear’

Since the lockdown, we’ve been receiving several calls pertaining to job losses and pay cuts. There is anxiety among people about their future. Women, especially, are emotionally, mentally and physically stressed as they are struggling with their work-life balance during lockdown. With everyone cooped up inside their homes for a long time, some relationships have strained.

We have been advising people to identify symptoms like restlessness, sleeplessness and wanting to stay isolated. If you think you are going through an emotional turmoil, talk to someone who you think will not judge you. Lend such people a patient ear. Seek professional counselling, if needed. We have been advocating transactional analysis, Tai chi and breathing techniques.

(Sudha Sundaram, psychologist and executive trustee, NG Chandran Charities) (TOI)

Srinagar: Senior Congress leader Ashok Bhan on Friday batted for dialogue with stakeholders of Kashmir conundrum and said peace can’t be achieved without talks and release of political detainees.

According to Kashmir News Service (KNS), Bhan who was speaking to Kashmiri young entrepreneurs in a webinar said that tall promises made by BJP since 2014 elections and 2019 of Naya Kashmir are palpably belied as being hollow on ground in J&K.

He said one of the causes of the new age turbulence is attributed to the betrayal of democratic expectations. “The youth had participated in large numbers in the electoral process in the 2014 state Assembly elections and voted out the incumbent government headed by Omar Abdullah”, he said.

“The BJP-PDP political unholy coalition polarized the state in regional drift and rift. The people’s mandate was betrayed with misgovernance and incompetence to manage the complex political affairs. All the hopes and promises to respect the distinct, united and unique characteristics of the state were dusted”, senior Congress leader said.

He added in absence of good governance, the militancy in the valley seems to have developed an autonomous raison d’être. Recent killing of Babar Qadri an articulate lawyer, a voice of moderation is an eye opener. Demeaning Kashmiri leadership and making then irrelevant by muscle and misinformation campaign, as an agenda is the most unwise policy of BJP – Kashmir analysts are surprised that New Delhi’s policy and its political managers are so incompetent, apolitical and naive, as not to be willing to leave any space or room for the Kashmiri leadership to exert a moderating influence that could prevent youngsters from taking up the gun.

He further added that Kashmir has been on the boil for more than 30 years. Tens of thousands of people, both civilians and soldiers have died and the population of Kashmiri pandits exiled. Kashmir affairs are seemingly messed up by BJP. Militancy has rendered the state, especially the valley, without liberty and individuality.

It has devastated the economy, education and normal living pattern, the plural ethos, and imperiled institutions. The societal psyche is turning cynical and despondent and that is what Pakistan and militancy have managed to do with the people of Kashmir. In the name of self-determination people have no voice of their own and the emotions are controlled and charged by proxies. People know the disastrous consequences of the harm Pakistan and terrorists have done.

He said the current political situation in Jammu & Kashmir can only be set right and people’s aspirations responded by Indian National Congress. INC had the visionary and experienced leadership and dynamic cadres in the UTs that can salvage the political drift, incompetence and huge disconnect of the administration with people.

Congress Party with the help of like-minded secular parties, political groups and civil society can usher in new era of reach out policy for all politico-Social sections, stakeholders including those having not participated in democratic polity. Without reach out and dialogue with stakeholders no peace and settlement of Kashmir conundrum is possible.

He said winning hearts and minds of Kashmiri’s is the most important requirement that can be done through a dialogue with stakeholders and by release of all political detainees. (KNS)