In continuing with its efforts to cover 100% rural households with functional tap water connections under Jal Jeevan Mission by 2022, the UT of J&K has provided 4.62 lakh tap water connections in two years.
In the first phase of the roadmap devised by the Mission Directorate, Jal Jeevan Mission J&K, two Districts — Srinagar and Ganderbal which includes 11 Blocks, 383 Panchayat and 925 Villages were covered with 100% piped water tap connections.
The ambitious flagship programme Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) was launched on August 15, 2019.
Under JJM, the UT of J&K has set a target to cover all the 20 districts of UT by September 2022.
According to the data of the Jal Shakti Department, Out of 18.35 Lakh rural households, 5.75 Lakh (31.36%) were connected with piped water connection at the start of the mission i.e., 15th August 2019. Jammu and Kashmir have covered 10.37 Lacs (56.51%) households with tap water connection till date and out of which 2.22 lakh tap water connections have been provided during the year 2020-21.
Jal Jeevan Mission has mobilised all its men and machinery in the ongoing 2nd phase, to cover 11 districts, which includes 153 blocks, 1952 Panchayat and 3254 villages with 4.91 Lakh Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTCs).
During the last leg of the JJM in J&K, 7 districts involving 121 blocks, 1660 Panchayat and 2623 villages shall be covered with 3.12 Lacs functional household tap connections.
A senior official of the Jal Shakti Department said the objective is to cover 100 per cent of households in a time-bound manner while ensuring the functionality of already provided connections.
In line with the appeal by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to further improve ‘ease of living’ in rural areas by providing facilities like financial inclusion, houses, road, clean fuel, electricity and toilets, the Jal Jeevan Mission aims to provide drinking water to every rural household, by 2024.
Srinagar, Dec 2: Muttahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU) Jammu & Kashmir headed by the incarcerated Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has expressed serious concern over the media reports about some Kashmiri Covid orphans being sold in the markets of India by a local NGO, terming it extremely shameful and disgusting.
As per media reports, many children who became orphans during Covid-19 pandemic were being sold outside Kashmir at 75,000 to 100,000 rupees.
According to a joint issued by the MMU which is a conglomerate of the leading religious, milli, social and educational organisations of Jammu & Kashmir, this was revealed in a media investigative report on a man named Asrar Amin, who runs an NGO ‘Global Welfare Charitable
The MMU said, “It is a matter of great sadness and shock that our Kashmir Valley which has been the land of saints and sages, such types of social evils and crimes against humanity are taking place here. It is a moment of introspection for the entire nation of Kashmir in general and for the leaders and scholars, imams and conscious citizens in particular.”
The Muttahida Majlis-e-Ulema strongly condemned such heinous act and demanded strict action against the individuals and institutions involved.
This is not a time to sit idle, but the need of the hour is to launch a full and organised campaign at all levels to accelerate overall reform and create awareness in the society in accordance with the teachings and guidance of sunnah , the MMU said, adding that society needs to be aware of such vices and counter them.
The organisations which are part of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Ulema include Anjuman Auqaf Jama Masjid Srinagar, Darul Uloom Raheemiyah Bandipora, Mufti Azam’s Muslim Personal Law Board Anjuman-e-Shari’a Shiaan, Darul Uloom Bilalia, Anjuman Nusratul Islam, Anjuman Mazharul Haq, Jamiat ul Aima Wa Ulema, Anjuman Imam Wa Mashaikh Kashmir, Darul Uloom Naqshbandia, Darul Uloom Rasheediya, Ahlul Bayt Foundation, Madrasa Kanz Ul Uloom, Pervaan-e-Wilayat, Auqaf Islamia, Muhammadi Trust, Anjuman Anwar ul Islam, Kaarvaan e Khatm e Naboowat and other organisations and leaders of the contemporary religious, milli, social and educational associations.
New Delhi: The number of militant incidents in Jammu and Kashmir during a period of 841 days after Article 370 was revoked dipped to 496 from the 843 cases reported in a same span of time prior to the abrogation, the government informed Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said during April 16, 2017 to August 04, 2019, 843 terrorist incidents were reported in Jammu and Kashmir in which 86 civilians and 78 army personnel were killed. During the period August 05, 2019 to November 22, 2021 (841 days after the abrogation), 496 terrorists incidents have been reported from Jammu and Kashmir in which 79 civilians and 45 army personnel have been killed, he said. “The overall statistics shows that there has been decline in terrorist attacks on civilians and army in Jammu and Kashmir,” Rai said. In response to a separate question, Rai said during the last 12 months from December 2020 to November 2021 (up to November 26), 14 militants have been apprehended and 165 militants have been killed. He said during last year, October 2020-21, 32 security forces and 19 Jammu and Kashmir police personnel were “martyred”. The minister said a total of 251 militant incidents have been reported between October 2020 and October 2021. Rai said the incidents of infiltration and militant attacks have decreased significantly since 2018 in Jammu and Kashmir. In 2018, 143 incidents of ‘Estimated Net Infiltration’ were reported from Jammu and Kashmir which had dipped to 141 in 2019, 51 in 2020 and 28 (up to October 30, 2021, the data provided by the minister in his response showed. In 2018, 417 militant incidents were reported in Jammu and Kashmir which had decreased to 255 in 2019, 244 in 2020 and 200 (up to November 21, 2021, it showed. PTI
Investigation has found that many Kashmiri children who lost either one or both parents to Covid-19 are being ‘sold’ by individuals and organisations running illegal adoption rackets.
Children who lost their parents to the pandemic might be falling prey to illegal adoptions, and possibly trafficking, as an India Today investigation found several unscrupulous elements offering Covid orphans for sale.
According to a Lancet study, around 1.16 lakh children in India may have lost a parent to the disease from March 1, 2020, to April 30, 2021. The breakdown showed an estimated 25,500 children losing their mothers, some 90,751 their fathers, and 12 both parents to Covid-19.
(L-R) Aijaz Ahmad Dar, Asrar Amin and Mannan Ansari
An assessment by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) suggests around 3,620 children lost both their parents, some 26,176 lost one of them and 274 children have been abandoned in the country since the pandemic struck.
Following tips that illegal adoptions might be taking place to exploit the vulnerabilities, India Today’s special investigation team found several people linked to shady organizations trading Covid orphans.
CIRCUMVENTING ADOPTION LAWS
On the face of it, Asrar Amin ran an NGO in Kashmir called Global Welfare Charitable Trust, which claims to be working for children and family welfare.
But when India Today’s SIT reporters probed him at a hotel in Delhi, he offered Covid orphans under his care for Rs 75,000 a child.
“We have so many orphans with us. But if one wants a Covid orphan, there’s no problem,” he said. “Kashmiri children are really beautiful, Mashallah!”
Asrar Amin, chairman of the Global Charitable Trust
Amin demanded Rs 1.50 lakh for a pair of Covid orphans.
“So two children can be adopted for Rs 1.50 lakh, right?” asked the reporter.
“Yes. I am not taking this money for myself. It’s for my trust,” the NGO head replied.
Child adoption in India is tightly guarded, with set criteria for adoptive parents.
As a result, only 3,000 to 5,000 children are officially adopted every year on average, government data shows.
In the US, the child adoption number goes up to 1.35 lakh annually.
But people like Amin, India Today’s probe found, are willing to offer Covid orphans without paperwork.
“You must be adopting a child for some reason. There’s no need for paperwork in that situation. But if you still insist, you can do it,” he said.
“But what if there’s a problem tomorrow?” the reporter asked.
“That’s my headache. I’ll handle. I’ll say you never met me. I don’t know you,” Amin replied.
Mannan Ansari, who manages a placement agency in Delhi’s Taimoor Nagar, admitted being a baby broker as he placed Covid orphans up for illegal adoption.
“Is there a child up for adoption, a child who lost parents to Covid?” the undercover reporter asked Ansari.
“I will help you,” he answered.
Mannan Ansari of a Delhi-based private placement agency
As the conversation progressed, Ansari let his hair down. He not only advised illegal adoption but also offered an infant whose father died from Covid.
“Just a couple of days ago a woman from Sarita Vihar thought about it,” Ansari said, adding she wanted to give her child for adoption.
“They were asking for Rs five lakh. It was a six-month-old child,” he continued.
“Fatherless?” the reporter inquired.
“Yes, fatherless. No need for any paperwork. Just do some minor formality so that they don’t demand the child back. Just do a mutual agreement for that.”
LIFTING NEWBORNS FROM HOSPITALS?
The SIT probed further and found another NGO operator from Pampore in Kashmir offering newborn Covid orphans, some even lifted from hospitals, for adoption.
Aijaz Ahmad Dar of the Noble Foundation nonprofit told India Today’s investigative reporters in New Delhi that he would involve hospital doctors in stealing the orphaned newborns.
“Suppose there’s a newborn. We’ll get that baby lifted right away,” he said.
Aijaz Ahmad Dar of the Noble Foundation
“Like a Covid orphan, a newborn whose mother died from Covid in the hospital?” the reporter investigated.
“That’s what I am saying. We’ll take some gynaecologists, some MD (qualified doctor), whom I know, in confidence. We’ll ask them how much money they would want if there’s a death,” Dar said. “We’ll talk to them to give us any orphan who has lost his/her mother. We’ll tell them not to send the baby to any orphanage but give it to us. We’ll update. God willing, we’ll have a child whose parent died from Covid.”
He demanded Rs 10 lakh for such a child.
“How many orphans are you in contact with in general?” asked the reporter.
“At least 500-600. From eight to ten years in age,” Dar replied.
Two militants including an alleged IED expert were killed in a gunfight in Jammu and Kashmir’s southern Pulwama district early Wednesday. The duo, the police said, were associated with proscribed Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) group.
Inspector General of Police Vijay Kumar said that the fighting broke out soon after the security forces laid siege to Qasbayar village of Pulwama’s Rajpora area to flush out militants dead or alive.
He said that among the slain is JeM commander Yasir Parray who was an IED expert. The other slain militant is believed to be a Pakistani national Furqan. He claimed that both of them were involved in several terror incidents and that their killing is “big success” of the security forces.
J&K police in a tweet on behalf of the IGP said, “Pulwama encounter update: #Militant commander of proscribed outfit JeM Yasir Parray, an IED Expert & foreign militant Furqan #neutralised. Both were involved in several terror #crime cases. A big #success.” ( KINS)
Winter Vacation | Upto Class 8th from December 6 and Upto Class 12 from December 13.
All government and private recognised schools of Kashmir and winter zones of Jammu up to class 8th will observe winter vacation from December 6 to February 28 while the classes from 9th to 12th will observe the vacation from December 13 to February 28
WHO warns Omicron variant poses ‘very high’ global risk could have ‘severe consequences’ in some places.
The heavily-mutated Omicron coronavirus variant is likely to spread internationally and poses a very high risk of infection surges that could have “severe consequences” in some places, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.
No Omicron-linked deaths had yet been reported, though further research is needed to assess its potential to escape protection against immunity induced by vaccines and previous infections, it added on Monday.
In anticipation of increased case numbers as the variant, first reported last week, spreads, the UN health agency urged its 194 member states to accelerate vaccination of high-priority groups and ensure plans were in place to maintain health services.
“Omicron has an unprecedented number of spike mutations, some of which are concerning for their potential impact on the trajectory of the pandemic,” the WHO said.
“The overall global risk related to the new variant … is assessed as very high.”
European countries clamp down on Omicron variant Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, sounded the alarm at the start of an assembly of health ministers on Monday that is expected to launch negotiations on an international agreement on preventing future pandemics.
“The emergence of the highly mutated Omicron variant underlines just how perilous and precarious our situation is,” Tedros said.
“Omicron demonstrates just why the world needs a new accord on pandemics: Our current system disincentivises countries from alerting others to threats that will inevitably land on their shores.”
The new global deal, expected by May 2024, would cover issues such as sharing of data and genome sequences of emerging viruses, and of any potential vaccines derived from research.
European Union member countries and others had sought language calling for work towards a treaty, but the United States and some other countries countered that the substance of any accord should be worked out first before any such document is given a name.
A “treaty” would suggest a legally binding agreement that could require ratification – and would likely incur domestic political haggling in some countries.
On Sunday, the United Kingdom’s ambassador in Geneva, Simon Manley, tweeted a copy of the draft text that was agreed by consensus – as required under WHO rules on such issues – and praised Chile and Australia for their work as co-chairs.
“The #Omicron variant shows yet again why we need a common understanding of how we prepare for and respond to pandemics, so we’re all playing by the same rules,” he wrote.
We’ve just reached consensus on this text: an important step towards a new global agreement on pandemic prevention, preparation & response. My thanks to our Chilean 🇨🇱 and Australian 🇦🇺 co-chairs for their tireless efforts
The draft makes no reference to the word “treaty” but, among other things, calls for the creation of an “intergovernmental negotiating body” among WHO member states to work out a possible deal to improve pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.
The world should now be “wide awake” to the threat of the coronavirus, “but Omicron’s very emergence is another reminder that although many of us might think we are done with COVID-19, it’s not done with us,” Tedros said.
Omicron was first reported on November 24 in South Africa, where infections have risen steeply.
It has since spread to more than a dozen countries, many of which have imposed travel restrictions to try to seal themselves off. Japan on Monday joined Israel in saying it would close its borders to foreigners.
The WHO reiterated that, pending further advice, countries should use a “risk-based approach to adjust international travel measures in a timely manner”, while acknowledging that a rise in coronavirus cases might lead to higher morbidity and mortality rates.
“The impact on vulnerable populations would be substantial, particularly in countries with low vaccination coverage,” it added.
In vaccinated people, meanwhile, “COVID-19 cases and infections are expected … albeit in a small and predictable proportion”.
Overall, there were “considerable uncertainties in the magnitude of immune escape potential of Omicron”, and more data was expected in the coming weeks.
Srinagar Nov 29 : Administration has failed to regulate rates in hospitals with proprietors charging patients as per their will. The committee headed by Director Health Services Kashmir submitted its report in September 2018 for regulation of rates. “However, the government has so far failed to execute due to opposition by private hospitals,” a senior official of the Health Department said. The official said that rates of private hospitals outside are being monitored at most of the places. “But there is no check on private hospitals in the Valley,” the official told news agency KINS. In absence of regulations, there have been complaints coming frequently from patients about being fleeced by private hospitals, he said. Mohammad Sidiq, whose brother underwent surgery for removal of gall bladder last month, said, “We were charged Rs 50,000 by a private hospital in Srinagar. One of our relatives for the same surgery was charged only Rs 35,000.” It has also been seen that patient load in government hospitals force people to turn to private hospitals for treatment. Sidiq, a resident of Bemina said there is huge variation in rates. “The proprietors of hospitals charge as per their will for surgeries and tests. The government should fix reasonable rates so that patients are not charged with hefty sums for surgeries and consultations,” he added. The failure of the government to regulate rates is taking a toll on patients, who are being charged as per the will of hospitals. Several states in India have also regulated CT-Scan charges but nothing such has been done in the valley. There are over 40 private hospitals and nursing homes registered with the DHSK. In 2012, the Health Department had issued an order making it mandatory for nursing homes to display costs against services provided by them for the purpose of transparency. A government of India’s survey in 2016 has revealed that childbirth at a private hospital in J&K would cost more than it would cost in most states of India. The survey has said that for a single childbirth at a private hospital in Kashmir’s rural private nursing home is Rs. 23,750 on an average, higher than national average. Divisional Commissioner Kashmir P K Pole said he will raise this issue with DHSK to ensure there are no inconveniences to people. (KINS)
Srinagar Nov 27: The Uttrakhand tragedy which occurred in February this year has raised a fear among people with experts predicting the possibility of bursting of dams in Jammu and Kashmir. The February 2021 flash floods in Uttrakhand left over 70 people dead. Like Uttrakhand, there are a large number of dams in Jammu and Kashmir where electricity is generated and being supplied to various parts of the country. Muneer Ahmad, who teaches Earth Sciences said snow avalanches are a common feature in higher Himalayas including in Uttrakhand and Jammu and Kashmir. He said climatologists have always opposed construction of dams on higher reaches. “When we construct any dam, we dump steel, iron, and these things retain heat resulting in an increase in temperature and disturb the environment leading to Uttrakhand like incidents. The Chenab valley in Jammu and Kashmir is vulnerable for Uttrakhand-like incidents as rocks have developed cracks there due to frequent earthquakes and blasting,” he said. He said there is also the possibility of floods like 2014 in Kashmir due to less carrying capacity in water bodies as Kashmir receives continuous rain for many days now due to climate change. According to Shakil Ahmad Romshoo, an earth sciences professor, the Indian Himalayas contain 12,000 glaciers forming 2,000 glacial lakes, of which at least 200 are vulnerable to breaching. Glacial lake outburst flooding (GLOF) is the term scientists use to describe when the water level of these lakes breach their boundaries, which can cause large amounts of water to flow into nearby stream and rivers, creating flash floods. “There is a potential threat of glacier lake outburst in Chenab valley of Jammu region and Zanskar area of Ladakh,” Romshoo had said. In May 2015, a flash flood triggered by the breaching of a glacial lake in Zanskar damaged several bridges and buildings — and displaced more than 3,000 people. Kashmir, too, was hit by a similar flood in 2014 that killed around 300 people and damaged hundreds of houses. In North Kashmir’s Bandipora, people living near 330 megawatts Kishenganga hydroelectric project, fear that flash floods could occur in the area any time. “The dam is spread around 4 kilometres and is on the upper reaches. But there are at least four villages including Kanzalwan, Zalinpora, Chuntipora, Gulshanpora which lie in the plains. If the dam gets breached any time due to frequent earthquakes, flash water will wash away all these villages. Government should relocate people from these areas,” said Shahid Ahmad, a local of Bandipora told news agency KINS Similarly in Chenab belt of Jammu region, experts said there is an imminent threat of bursting of water bodies due to frequent earthquakes as rocks have loosened. (KINS)
Asrar Amin, chairman of the Global Charitable Trust
Mannan Ansari of a Delhi-based private placement agency 
Aijaz Ahmad Dar of the Noble Foundation