Category: Union Territory

Why this new fund when the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund is already in existence: Party leaders

Special Correspondent

Congress leaders on Monday questioned the setting up of PM CARES Fund to deal with the coronavirus pandemic by Prime Minister Narendra Modi when the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) is already in existence.

Lok Sabha member Shashi Tharoor on Twitter, commenting on another tweet about PM CARES, asked: “Why not simply rename PMNRF as PM-CARES, given the PM’s penchant for catchy acronyms, instead of creating a separate Public Charitable Trust whose rules & expenditure are totally opaque?”

“@PMOIndia you owe the country an explanation for this highly unusual step,” Mr. Tharoor added.

On March 28, the government had set up the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund’ (PM CARES Fund) to deal with the unprecedented situation arising out of the COVID-19 outbreak where citizens can make voluntary contributions.

However, some critics including Congress leaders pointed out that money was lying ‘unspent’ in the PMNRF.

“The PM’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) has an unspent balance of ₹3,800 crore [as of December 16, 2019]. Why couldn’t #COVID19 donations go to PMNRF? Why was PM CARE created? Why are PM & 3 ministers members of this trust without any opposition or civil society leaders?”asked Congress spokesperson Salman Soz.

“The Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) was established in January 1948 after PM Jawaharlal Nehru made an appeal to assist displaced persons from Pakistan. PMNRF belongs to the people of India. Who does PM CARES Fund belong to?” Mr. Soz added.

Noted historian Ram Chandra Guha too targeted the government over PM CARES Fund.

“This is a very important thread. Why a new fund when a Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund already exists? And why the self-aggrandizing name, PM-CARES? Must a colossal national tragedy also be (mis)used to enhance the cult of personality?” asked Mr. Guha.

Kanwal spicies group in presence of DC anantnag Bashir ahmad dar and MC president Hilal ahmad shah distribute food packets and other eatable items among people of anantnag town.

Manager Kanwal spicies farooq ahmad told that we take initiative to help people in wake of lockdown due to spread of pandemic disease nationwide.

District Adminstration hailed this initiative taken by Kanwal group to help needy people in difficult situation and thanked Kanwal group.

Kulgam, Mar 31: A 28-year-old youth who was seriously injured after being fired upon by unidentified gunmen at Kulgam district, succumbed at SKIMS, Soura.

According to wire service—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), on March 21, unknown gunmen had shot at 28-year-old man in Turigam area of Kulgam in south Kashmir, leaving him critically injured.

The youth was identified as Waseem Ahmad son of Muhammad Amin at Turigam this evening.

Waseem had suffered serious bullet wounds.

A doctor at SKIMS told KNO that the youth succumbed early morning today. SP Kulgam Gurinderpal Singh confirmed that the boy died in SKIMS today morning—(KNO)

Some one lakh people in the US may die from the coronavirus pandemic and the peak death rate was likely to hit the country in two weeks, President Donald Trump has warned, citing his health experts as he extended the “social distancing” guidelines until April 30.

His statement came as the death toll in New York state, America’s epicentre of COVID-19, crossed the 1,000 mark, with Governor Andrew Cuomo warning that thousands of people may die before the crisis ends.

The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the US stood at 143,025 and 2,509 people have died in the country, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Assuring his countrymen that he expects the US to be on its way to recovery by June 1, Trump told reporters at a televised White House news conference that he had to extend the social distancing measures till April 30, based on the advice from his two top public health advisors and members of the White House Task Force on Coronavirus: Dr Deborah Bix and Dr Anthony Fauci.

“I want the American people to know that your selfless inspiring and valiant efforts are saving countless lives. You are making a difference. The modeling estimates that the peak and death rate is likely to hit in two weeks,” Trump said during his second Rose Garden press conference on the coronavirus outbreak.

Trump predicted his decision would save hundreds of thousands of lives, in an apparent moving of the political goalposts to account for the fast worsening US pandemic. “2.2 million people would have died if we didn’t do what we are doing,” the President said.“If we can hold that number down … To 100,000, it’s a horrible number, maybe even less … We all, all together have done a very good job,” Trump said.

“We can expect that by June 1 we will be well on our way to recovery,” he said. The coronavirus pandemic is expanding fast in New York’s neighbouring New Jersey, where so far more than 13,000 cases have been reported, with 161 deaths. More than 20 of the 50 American states have recorded over 1,000 coronavirus cases — the number from where the deadly disease starts skyrocketing. Major disaster declaration has been notified in nearly two dozen states, in addition to Trump declaring a national emergency a week ago.

Jammu, March 30 (GNS): A doctor in Jammu has tested positive for coronavirus and was among 11 persons who were confirmed to have contracted the dreaded disease in J&K on Monday. So far 49 people including 37 in Kashmir and 12 in Jammu have tested positive for the pathogen. Among them, eight tested positive for coronavirus in Kashmir and three in Jammu on Monday.

In an ominous development, this is the first case of a doctor contracting the novel coronavirus in Jammu and Kashmir.

Official sources told GNS that the doctor is working as microbiologist at the microbiology laboratory of Government Medical College Jammu. Sources said all staff working in the laboratory and others who might have come in his contact has been shifted to quarantine and their samples have been taken for tests, they said. (GNS)

North Kashmir has no collection Centre for COVID-19 samples nor testing lab

Srinagar, Mar 28 (KNO): With daily surge in number of positive cases in Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the authorities have not been able to increase the number of testing labs from existing two and collection centres for lakhs of people living in north and southern Kashmir.

According to wire service—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), an official said that Kashmir valley has only two functional testing labs for COVID-19 with two sample collection centres in south and not s single in north Kashmir.

Official sources said that even after growing cases of deadly novel Corona-virus in Kashmir with number mounting to 45 in Jammu and Kashmir, authorities here haven not set up any new testing labs so far making suspects to travel several kilometers for tests and sample collections.

Sources said that two functional testing labs for COVID-19 are made functional in Kashmir are, one at Government Medical College (GMC) and Sher Kashmir Institute of Medical Science (SKIMS) Srinagar only.

Sources further said that hundreds across the valley are under quarantine and the figures are mounting amid the increase in positive cases within the valley from both south and north Kashmir with more positive cases emerging from north Kashmir belt of Kashmir.

Despite authorities being aware about how fatal this virus can be, they have not made a single testing lab functional in north or south Kashmir since when both the belts have full-fledged medical colleges functional in Anantnag and Baramulla, official sources said.

Government medical college (GMC) Anantnag, Dr Showkat Geelani said, “We don’t have a testing lab functional here for Coronavirus but we collect the samples and send them for testing to Srinagar and so far we have sent almost a dozen samples”.

Nodal officer Kashmir diversion for COVID-19 Dr. SM Qadri on being contacted told—KNO that only two testing labs are functional in Kashmir one at Government Medical College (GMC) and Sher Kashmir Institute Of Medical Science (SKIMS) Srinagar.

He said that no testing lab has yet been made functional anywhere in Kashmir expect the two functioning in Srinagar but we have collection centres operational in Pulwama and Jawahar Lal Nehru Memorial Hospital (JLNM) Srinagar only samples are to be collected and tested in functional labs.

He furthermore said that there is no collection centre or testing lab made functional in north Kashmir. The people belonging to northern belt of Kashmir are gripped with fear after Bandipora witnessed couple of positive cases and two deaths of positive patient, an elderly on Thursday from Sopore and ther other elderly from Tangmarg with numbers in quarantine and several tested positive from Bandipora—(KNO)

Both Positive and negative result people are kept together, allege patients

Srinagar, Mar 30 (KNO): Amid the coronavirus outbreak, valley’s lone Chest Disease hospital continues to face government neglect and is grappling with shortage of basic facilities like sanitation, proper fencing etc.

According to wire service—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), a Covid-19 patient from Budgam district of Central Kashmir alleged that there is no basic facility at CD hospital as the rooms, bathrooms and surroundings of the hospital are very dirty and the patients are ill-treated.

“I visited Delhi on March 16th, returned back on March 18 and directly visited SKIMS and asked doctors for check-up but they behaved very rudely and asked me to go home after which I was at home from 18 to 25 March,” he said. “On March 25, a team of doctors took me to Chrar-e-Sharef hospital, from where I was shifted to CD hospital Srinagar where doctors change statements about me every day, one day they declare me positive and another day negative.”

He said that the facilities are very poor at CD hospital as even dogs sleep in the wards during night and the food that is provided to them is unhygienic. “No gap is being kept between patients suspects of Covid-19,” he alleged.

Before confirmation all patients are kept in a single room and once report comes, then patient is kept in isolation, he said. “All suspected persons must be kept in isolation at initial stage, otherwise his/her virus spreads to all till authorities wait for confirmation,” said another patient.

The hospital should have proper sanitation otherwise the health of the patients will deteriorate instead of recovering, he said. “My relatives and friends contacted whole administration but nothing has been done so far,” he said. When contacted by KNO, doctors at CD hospital said that some of the grievances and complaints of patients are genuine and have taken up these issues with higher ups and will be redressed soon—(KNO)

Shopian, Mar 30: Invoking prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC, Disaster Management Act and The Epidemic Disease Act, District Magistrate Shopian said that there would be no inward and outward movement of any person from the villages declared red zones and the people would stay in their homes to ensure complete lockdown.

In this regard District Magistrate today issued order according to which Ramnagri and Sedow, fall in red zone category while adjoining villages of these tehsils have been declared buffer zones, for the of safety and well being of general public.

The order further reads that there would be no vehicular movement on these roads.

“The area has become more vulnerable as far as further transmission of the COVID-19 virus is concerned. It is necessary to break further transmission of the disease in the area and it becomes imperative to take stringent precautionary measures like declaring concerned villages as red zones and other villages.

DM directed the officials concerned to ensure supply of essential commodities as per laid down protocols in the villages covering both local residents and outside labourers and warned of stern action against anyone who tries to violate orders—(KNO)