The Supreme Court will hear today a plea by Sara Abdullah Pilot, seeking release from detention of her brother and former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister “Omar Abdullah”.
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6 suspected patients test negative in Kashmir
Six patients admitted with flu symptoms and having history of travel to outside India have been found negative for coronavirus while 28 people are admitted across J&K hospitals.
At Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), 13 patients are admitted in quarantine section of the hospital while one patient continues to be in isolation ward. This patient, along with two more who had been admitted yesterday, have been found negative for coronavirus but are “very sick,” hospital administration said. No test report is awaited, medical superintendent of the hospital, Dr Farooq Jan said.
At Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar, three samples have tested negative for coronavirus, Dr S Saleem Khan, nodal officer for coronavirus and head, department of community medicine said.
Meanwhile, Government has extended J&K Epidemic Disease (COVID-19) Regulations, 2020 to both the divisions of Jammu and Kashmir to step up efforts to tackle the contagious coronavirus disease. The Regulations were extended to whole of J&K under the orders of Lieutenant Governor Girish Chandar Murmu which define powers, duties and responsibilities to the surveillance personnel, duties and responsibilities of Medical Officers and Practitioners, enforcement and offences.
According to official Media Bulletin on novel coronavirus (COVID-19), 2615 travellers and persons in contact with suspected cases have been enlisted for surveillance and, so far, three cases have tested positive in Jammu and Kashmir. Whereas 2060 persons have been kept under home quarantine, 28 are in hospital quarantine, the bulletin said. Persons who are under home surveillance stand at 297 while as 230 persons have completed their 28-day surveillance period.
Further, 113 samples have been sent for testing, of which 105 tested as negative and three cases have tested positive so far, while as reports of five cases are awaited.
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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First positive case of COVID19 confirmed of an Indian Army Jawan
Representational Picture First positive case of COVID19 confirmed of an Indian Army jawan (from Ladakh Scouts). Jawan’s father has travel history to Iran. Jawan is being treated while his family including sister&wife have been put in quarantine. Jawan’s father has also tested positive.
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Public Advisory
Health Advisory regarding COVID-19
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National Conference is representative of JK’s cultural, linguistic, religious diversity: Dr. Farooq Abdullah
Srinagar: National Conference has long been synonymous with the aspirations of the people of J&K and that it exhibits the cultural, linguistic and religious diversity of J&K, Jammu and Kashmir National Conference President and Member of Parliament from Srinagar Dr Farooq Abdullah Tuesday said.
In a statement National Conference said that scores of delegations from across Kashmir called on party president Dr Farooq Abdullah at his residence to greet him on his release. “The delegations comprising of workers, party functionaries, delegates and civil society groups who called on party president had come from Qazigund, Amirakadal, Soura, Shahar e Khas, Ganderbal,” NC said.
Addressing the visiting delegations NC president thanked all those who had thronged his residence.
NC said that Dr Abdullah extolled the enthusiasm of party functionaries, workers and others.
“NC is a symbolic of J&K’s personality; it mirrors the cultural diversity of J&K. It is the unflinching faith of people in us that keeps us going for decades. The way our workers, functionaries have been upholding the party flag high in the most trying times is commendable. We have been lending voice to people irrespective of their religion, region and creed. Our idea of politics is participatory, it puts people first,” NC quoted Farooq Abdullah as saying.
“I am overwhelmed to see the enthusiasm of our workers. Our unity unnerves our opponents,” Abdullah said.
Expressing gratitude to the visiting delegations, NC president said that he is appreciative of the love and affection that he has received from people. “I express my gratitude to all who prayed for me.I am overwhelmed with the support we have received from the people. The enthusiasm of workers and delegates is indeed elevating,” he said.
Among others who were present on the occasion include Muhammad Maqbool Bhat, Syed Tauqeer, M Y Taing, Pirzada Firoz Ahmad Shah, Qaisar Jalali, and Dr Syed, NC said. -
Amit Shah assures all possible help to revive Kashmir economy
Kashmir traders’ delegation calls on Home Minister, Finance Minister
Home Minister Amit Shah Tuesday assured “all possible” help to revive Kashmir economy which has been battered post-abrogation of Article 370 last year.
Shah along with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharman held a meeting with members of Kashmir Inc. which represented over 50 trade associations of Kashmir.
Sources informed that the Union Home Minister had invited the Kashmir Inc. representatives to the meeting to know their grievances.
Chief spokesperson Kashmir Inc, Sheikh Ashiq, told Greater Kashmir over phone,
“The Home Minister, the Finance Minister and MoS in PM Office, Jitendra Singh, held a marathon meeting with representatives of Kashmir Inc.”
“During the meeting we presented our point of view viz-a-viz losses incurred by Kashmir economy post August 5, 2019.
“The ministers gave us a patient hearing and after listening to our grievances,
the Home Minister assured of all possible help to revive Kashmir’s economy.
“Our meeting was apolitical, as we are representing traders’ bodies. We discussed with the Home Minister the issues of all segments of Kashmir trade and informed him how our economy is badly suffering.
“They (the Ministers) stated they are aware of the problems confronting trade in J&K,” he said.
The meeting of Kashmir Inc with Union Ministers lasted for over one and a half hour from 5.30 to 7 pm.
“We stressed the dire need for hand-holding Kashmir’s business community as we have been at the receiving end for over three-decades. To it the Home Minister told us that Modi-led government is committed to give fillip to Kashmir economy,” said Farhan Kitab, who was part of the delegation.
“Home Minister’s response was positive; he assured of doing needful to help Kashmir economy,” he said.
The Kashmir Inc also gave detailed presentation of “Rs 18,000 crore losses pegged by Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries”. The chamber had compiled preliminary loss report for four months post August 5 when the centre stripped J&K of special status and bifurcated it into two union territories.
The Kashmir Inc has been reporting losses as the business sentiment continues to be weak in the Valley.
Earlier this month, a delegation of Kashmir Inc had met Minister of State in Prime Minister’s Office, Dr Jitendra Singh, prior to which, they had met Lieutenant Governor GC Murmu to seek their intervention in order to revive fortunes of beleaguered Kashmir economy.
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Saudi Arabia suspended prayers inside Mosques
Saudi Arabia suspended prayers inside all but the holiest two mosques in Islam as the kingdom steps up efforts to contain the new coronavirus, state media reported
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Coronavirus: Entry of foreign tourists banned in Valley
Srinagar, Mar 17 (KNO): In wake of the deadly coronavirus epidemic, the government on Tuesday evening decided to ban the entry of foreign tourists in Kashmir.
According to wire service—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), District Magistrate, Srinagar, Dr. Shahid Iqbal Choudhary said that the foreign tourists will not be allowed to enter in Kashmir.
The decision has been taken as precautionary measure. “Entry of all foreign tourists in Kashmir has been banned as a precautionary measure,” DM Srinagar said –(KNO)
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High Speed Internet Curbs Extended Till March 26
Srinagar, March 17: The ban on high-speed 3G, 4G Internet services has been extended by nine days in Jammu and Kashmir, while 2G Internet services will remain working, the J&K government said on Tuesday.
As per an order issued here, the Jammu and Kashmir administration extended the 2G mobile data service till March 26.
“The directions/restrictions contained in order no.17(TSTS) of the 2020 dated 04-03-2020 shall continue to remain operative till March 26, 2020 unless modified earlier,” reads an order issued by principal secretary Home Shaleen Kabra. The order, the officer, according to GNS, said was issued “on consideration of the overall security scenario and the reports of the law enforcement agencies inter-alia bringing out the necessity of speed related restrictions on mobile data services, and upon assessment of the available alternatives.”
The inspector generals of police, Kashmir and Jammu, have been asked to ensure immediate compliance of these directions. (GNS)
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How China is using technology to fight coronavirus
Geospatial Media & Communications
The Wuhan coronavirus outbreak has become a global calamity, leaving thousands dead, millions vulnerable, supply lines collapsed, economies derailed, factories shunted and cities under lockdown. It is an unanticipated disaster of epic proportions that has exposed human fragility in an interconnected world. China, from where the novel virus originated, has been the worst hit. By mustering resources at its disposal and deploying the latest technology, the country has mitigated the spread to a significant extent and profiled people at risk. During the time of the SARS ( Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak in 2002, it took scientists more than a year to decode the genome of the virus, whereas thanks to tech advancements, the Covind-19 or the coronavirus genome was identified in a month’s time. These are the various ways through which China is waging war against this deadly strain.
Color Coding
Image Courtesy: NYT Utilizing its sophisticated and expansive surveillance network for the public good, Chinese government joined hands with tech giants Alibaba and Tencent to develop a color-coded health rating system that is tracking millions of people daily. The smartphone app was first deployed in Hangzhou with collaboration from Alibaba. It assigns three colors to people — green, yellow or red — on the basis of their travel and medical histories. In the industrial hub Shenzhen, similar software was created by Tencent.
Whether a person should be quarantined or allowed in public spaces is decided based on the color code. Citizens have to mandatorily log in to the app using pay wallet services like Alibaba’s Alipay, Ant’s wallet etc. Only those people who have been given a green color code are allowed in public spheres after using the designated QR code at metro stations, offices, stations. There are checkpoints at most public places where the code and person’s body temperature is checked. More than 200 Chinese cities are using this system, and soon it will be extended nationwide.
Robotics
Little Peanut From preparing meals at hospitals, doubling up as waiters in restaurants, spraying disinfectants and cleaning, to vending rice and dispensing hand sanitizers, robots are on the frontlines everywhere to prevent the spread of coronavirus. In many hospitals, robots are also performing diagnosis and conducting thermal imaging. Shenzhen based company Multicopter is using robots to transport medical samples.
As per a Reuters report, a small robot called Little Peanut is delivering food to Passengers who were on a flight from Singapore to Hangzhou, China, and are currently being quarantined in a hotel.
Drones
Image Courtesy: Global Times In some of the severely affected areas, drones have come to the rescue by transporting both medical equipment and patient samples. This is saving time, enhancing the speed of delivery and preventing the risk of samples being contaminated. Drones are also flying with QR code placards that can be scanned to register health information. There are also agricultural drones that are spraying disinfectants in the countryside. Drones, powered with facial recognition, are also being used to broadcast warnings to the citizens to not step out of their homes and chide them for not wearing facemasks.
Big Data and Facial recognition
Image Courtesy: SCMP Access to public information has led to the creation of dashboards that are continuously monitoring the virus. A lot of organizations are developing dashboards using Big Data. Face recognition and infrared temperature detection techniques have been installed in all leading cities. Chinese AI companies like SenseTime and Hanwang Technology have claimed to come up with a special facial recognition technology that can accurately recognise people even if they are masked. Smartphone apps are also being used to keep a tab on people’s movements and ascertain whether or not they have been in contact with an infected person. Al Jazeera reported that the telecom company China Mobile sent text messages to state media agencies, informing them about the people who have been infected. The messages included all the details about the persons travel history. CCTV cameras have also been installed at most locations to ensure that those who are quarantined don’t step out.
Artificial Intelligence
AI is playing a leading role in healthcare these days. With the help of data analytics and predictive models, medical professionals are able to understand more about a lot of diseases.
Baidu, the Chinese internet giant, has made its Lineatrfold algorithm available to teams that are fighting the outbreak, as per the MIT Technological Review. Unlike Ebola, HIV and Influenza, Covind-19 has only a single strand RNA, so it is able to rapidly mutate. The algorithm is a lot faster than other algorithms that help predict the structure of a virus.
Baidu has also made tools to build effectively screen large populations. It has also built Ai-powered infrared system that can detect a change in a person’s body temperature. It is currently being used in Beijing’s Qinghe Railway Station to identify passengers who are potentially infected where it can examine up to 200 people in one minute without disrupting passenger flow, says the MIT Review.
Autonomous Vehicles
Image Courtesy: MIT Technology Review At a time of severe crunch of healthcare professionals and the risk that people-to-people contact holds, autonomous vehicles are proving to be of great utility in delivering essential goods like medicines and foodstuffs. Apollo, which is Baidu’s autonomous vehicle platform, has joined hands with self-driving startup Neolix to deliver supplies and food to a big hospital in Beijing. Baidu Apollo has also made its micro-car kits and autonomous driving cloud services available for free to companies fighting the virus.
Idriverplus, a Chinese self-driving company that operates electric street cleaning vehicles, is also a part of the mission. The company’s flagship vehicles are being used to disinfect hospitals.
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)