New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has changed the concept of women’s development into women-led development, thus opening doors of opportunities for them.

Taking to Twitter, he said: “Today the girls are excelling in all the arenas taking the nation to greater heights. On the occasion of ‘National Girl Child Day’, I extend my best wishes to every daughter of India, the pride of the country.”

“Sri Narendra Modi, after becoming Prime Minister in 2014 appealed to the nation to adopt many schemes like ‘Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao’ for daughters as a symbol of pride and self-respect in the whole country which has resulted a mass campaign and led to a revolutionary improvement in the sex ratio,” Shah said in his message.

National Girl Child Day or Rashtriya Balika Diwas is celebrated every year on January 24. This annual commemoration helps raise awareness on the need to protect and safeguard the girl child and aims to help tackle these issues and give them an equal and just chance at life.

Initiated by the Ministry of Women and Child Development in 2008, this observance has become a key opportunity to raise awareness of inequities that girls face in Indian society. (IANS)

By: Nadeem Nadu

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir reported eight covid-19 deaths, highest single-day toll of the present third wave, even as 5394 persons tested positive for the virus in the last 24 hours, officials said on Monday.

2045 of the fresh cases were reported from Jammu Division and 3349 from Kashmir, taking the overall tally to 402596, the officials said.

Regarding the deaths, they said, four each were reported from Jammu division and Kashmir Valley respectively. So far 4613 people have died due to the virus—2253 in Jammu division and 2360 in Kashmir Valley.

On Saturday last, the J&K recorded its highest daily case count of 6568 since the onset of the pandemic in 2020.

Giving district wise details, the officials said that Srinagar reported 963 cases, Baramulla 514, Budgam 574, Pulwama 188, Kupwara 267, Anantnag 229, Bandipora 252, Ganderbal 51, Kulgam 276, Shopian 35, Jammu 1204 , Udhampur 234, Rajouri 40, Doda 187, Kathua 34, Samba 71, Kishtwar 40, Poonch 15, Ramban 121 and Reasi 99.

There has been surge in covid-19 cases in J&K since the start of the New Year. On January 1, J&K reported 169 cases, 165 cases on January 2, 178 on January 3, 199 on January 4, 418 on January 5, 349 on January 6, 542 on January 7, 655 on January 8, 687 on January 9, 706 on January 10, 1148 on January 11, 1695 on January 12, 1966 on January 13, 2456 on January 14, 3251 on January 15, 3499 on January 16, 2817 on January 17, 4651 on January 18 and 5818 on January 19 and 5992 on January 20, 5720 on January 21 and 6253 on January 22.

A number of these cases were confirmed at diagnostic laboratories of GMC Anantnag and District hospital Pulwama.

The GMC Anantnag cases include male (30) from Pulwama, male (20) from Dachoo, female (50) from Sherpora, male (27) from Kulgam, two males (31, 36) from Mominabad Ang, male (68) from Chandpora, male (41) from Bakshiabad, male (6) from Bijbehara, male (26) from Srinagar, male (24) from Verinag, male (27) from Anantnag, male (60) from Deesu Kokernag, female (47) from Hiller, two males (63, 20) from Batasgum, male (41) from Mominabad, female (46) from Qaimoh, male (31) from Kulgam, male (58) from Shalipora Kgm, male (30) from Nowgam Verinag, male (35) from Hallan, female (35) from Kapran, male (50) and two females (40, 12) from Verinag, male (50) from Larkipora, male (30) from Utreso, male (25) from Fatehpora, male (25) from Zaldoora, male (18) from Shangran, male (58) from Harnag, male (40) from Tulkhan, male (45) and female (30) from DK Marg DH Pora, female (33) from Damhall, male (33) from Laisoo, male (36) from Manzgam, two males (33, 33) from SDM Office Noorabad, male (33) from Nadimarg, male (33) from Chimmer, male (30) from Nagam DH Pora, twelve males (60, 50, 39, 40, 60, 50, 40, 50, 50, 30, 35, 50) from PS Damhall DH Pora, female (60) from Khull DH Pora, male (29) from Devsar Kulgam, male (25) from Ashmuji, female (29) from Qazigund, male (40) from Sangus Kulgam, female (41) from Amnoo Kulgam, female (35) from Shurat Kulgam, female (29) from Sopat Kulgam, male (31) from Bugam, female (45) from Khudwani, male (45) from Khanabal, two females (60, 15) and male (65) from Frisal Kulgam, male (40) and female (30) from Panzath Ang, male (30) from Chadoora, male (33) from Nanil, female (36) and male (38) from L Pombay, male (3) and female (30) from Shopian, female (30) from Mandhole, female (20) and male (16) from Zangalpora, male (21) from Akhran, fourteen males (30, 66, 10, 6, 30, 27, 28, 38, 56, 65, 34, 21, 38, 6) and three females (34, 36, 35) from Razloo, male (17) from Batengoo, male (40) from Vehil, male (24) from Achabal, female (26) from Brakpora, male (28) from Dailgam, eighteen males (28, 27, 35, 37, 60, 32, 40, 56, 62, 52, 26, 48, 48, 35, 29, 31, 25) and female (35) from JK Bank TP Branch zanh, two males (34, 17) and two females (34, 45) from Bijbehara Sirhama, male (51) from Deesu Daksum, male (32) from Nowgam Kokernag and male (30) from Akingam Kokernag.

The DH Handwara cases include female (30) from Achan, female (40) from Keegam, female (60) from Karimabad, male (30) from Karimabad, male (35) from Wasoora,  male (32) from Pampore,  female (30) from Inder, male (30) from New colony, female (35) from Pinglena, male (70) from Pinglena, male (38) from Babhara, female (60) from Chattapora, female (50) from Wahibugh, female (32) from Koil, female (30) from Sheikhpora, male (32) from Pulwama, male (65) from Dalipora, female (28) from Sheikhpora, female (35) from Gabarpora, male (32) from Nanil anantnag, female (35) from Karimabad, male (60) from Tujan, female (35) from Chakoora, female (35) from Malikpora, male (50) from Thamna, male (38) from Tujan, female (30) from Chartapora, male (50) from Khaygam, female (30) from Karimabad, female (38) from Deeri, female (35) from Pathan,  female (70) from Washbugh, male (26) from Chadoora panzen, female (13) from Rajpora, male (45) from Rajpora and male (26) from Dangerpora.

Besides, they said, 3643 Covid-19 patients recovered during the time—1732 from Jammu Division and 1911 from Kashmir. So far 353374 people have recovered, leaving active case tally at 44609 —13542 in Jammu and 31067 in Kashmir.

They said there was no new confirmed case of mucormycosis (black fungus) reported today. So far 51 black fungus cases have been confirmed in J&K, the officials said.

They also informed that 33,147 ddoses of covid-19 vaccine were administered during the time in J&K. (GNS)

New Delhi: India in the past 24 hours recorded 3,06,064 lakh fresh cases of Covid-19, about 8 per cent lower than yesterday’s tally of 3.33 lakh cases, Union Health Ministry said on Monday.

Besides, 439 fresh fatalities were also recorded in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll in the country to 489848. Currently, the active cases stand at 22,49,335, which comprises 5.69 per cent of the total infections, while the national Covid-19 recovery rate stood at 93.07 per cent.

Meanwhile, 2,43,495 recoveries were also reported in the last 24 hours, pushing the total number of recoveries to 3,68,04,145. The daily positivity rate was 20.75 per cent while the weekly positivity rate was recorded at 17.03 per cent as per the data shared by the Ministry.

Delhi has reported 9,197 new coronavirus cases and 35 virus-related deaths on Sunday while Mumbai recorded 2,550 new infections and 13 deaths. In comparison, Bengaluru posted a much higher daily figure of 26,299 cases.

On the vaccination front, the government has been continuously speeding up the vaccination drive across the country.

According to the Covid-19 bulletin, 71. 69 crore tests have been conducted so far, of which 14,74,753 were done in the past 24 hours. India has administered 162.26 doses of Covid-19 vaccine so far under the ongoing nationwide vaccination drive, according to the date shared by the ministry.

More than 162.73 crores vaccine doses were provided to States/UTs so far. Over 13.83 the crores balance and unutilized Covid vaccine doses are still available with the States/UTs to be administered, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, India’s apex body of genome sequencing labs has warned against laxity saying the threat perception from the ‘variant of concern’ remained unchanged. In its weekly analysis of the level of infection, the INSACOG (Indian Sars Cov 2 Genomics Sequencing Consortium) said Omicron was now in community transmission stage in the country and had become dominant in multiple metros, where new cases had been rising exponentially. (UNI)

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that children of India have shown their modern and scientific temperament in the vaccination programme and since January 3, in just 20 days, more than 40 million of them have taken the Corona vaccine.

Prime Minister Modi made the observation while virtually interacting with Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar (PMRBP) awardees.

Digital certificates were conferred on the PMRBP awardees for the years 2022 and 2021 using ‘Blockchain Technology’. The technology was used for the first time for giving certificates to the awardees.

Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani and minister of state Dr Munjpara Mahendrabhai were among those present on the occasion.

“Children of India have shown their modern and scientific thinking in the vaccination programme as well. Since January 3, in just 20 days, more than 40 million children have got the Covid vaccine,” he said.

He also lauded children for their leadership in the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. The Prime Minister appealed to them to be an ambassador for ‘Vocal for Local’ and lead the campaign of ‘Aatmnirbhar Bharat’.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister noted that these awards become all the more significant in the light of the fact that they have been conferred during the important period when the country is celebrating ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.

“This is the time to draw energy from the past and dedicate oneself to achieving great results in the coming 25 years of the Amrit kaal,” he said. The Prime Minister remembered the glorious history of the Freedom Struggle and the contribution of Birbala Kanaklata Barua, Khudiram Bose and Rani Gaidinilu.

“These fighters had made the country’s freedom the mission of their lives at a very young age and had dedicated themselves for it” the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister cited examples of the bravery and sacrifice of the sons of Guru Gobind Singh. He pointed out that when the Sahibzadas had sacrificed with immense valour, they were very young and their sacrifice for India’s civilization, culture, faith and religion is incomparable. The Prime Minister asked the youngsters to know more about the Sahibzadas and their sacrifice.

The Prime Minister mentioned that a digital statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose has also been installed near India Gate in Delhi. “We get the biggest inspiration from Netaji – duty of the nation first. Taking inspiration from Netaji, you have to proceed on the path of duty for the country,” he said.

The Prime Minister said that Youth is at the centre of all policies and initiatives of the government. He cited initiatives like ‘Start Up India’, ‘Stand Up India’, ‘Digital India’, ‘Make in India’ along with Jan Andolan of Aatmnirbhar India and creation of modern infrastructure.

This is in sync with the speed of the youth of India who are leading this new epoch both in India and outside, the Prime Minister said.

He underlined the growing prowess of India in the innovation and start-up sphere. He conveyed the nation’s pride in the fact of major global companies being led by Indian young CEOs.

“Today we feel proud when we see the youth of India excelling in the world of startups. Today we feel proud when we see that the youth of India are innovating, taking the country forward,” he said.

PM Modi also greeted the daughters of the country on National Girl Child Day.

He said that in areas where they were not even allowed earlier, the daughters are doing wonders in them today.

“This is the new India, which does not hold back from innovating. Courage and determination are the hallmarks of India today,” he added. (IANS)

Jammu: Chief Secretary, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta Monday chaired a meeting to review the condition of the National Highway-44 connecting Jammu and Srinagar, and take stock of the traffic movement thereon.

Principal Secretary, Public Works (R&B) Department, representative of NHAI, Deputy Commissioner, Ramban, and district SP, Ramban participated in the meeting.

It was informed that the Department has prioritized construction and maintenance of the national highway-44 which has kept the highway open for vehicular traffic even during extreme weather vagaries.

The Chief Secretary was apprised of the recent traffic disruption on the highway due to the breakdown of an overloaded vehicle carrying 36-ton dry ration in violation of the laid down norms.

The Chief Secretary directed for ascertaining reasons for the incident to prevent recurrence of such incidents in future. He further directed the NHAI and traffic police to forthwith put in place a mechanism for calibrated checking of all load carriers to prevent plying of overloaded vehicles, which not only disrupts the usual traffic flow but also compromises the road quality.

Dr. Mehta maintained that all load-carrying vehicles are to be passed through weighing bridges at toll plazas in a staggered manner to avoid any jams and action against overloaded vehicles is to be initiated to ensure smooth flow of traffic.

Further, the concerned agencies were asked to submit daily violation reports and weekly action taken reports to the higher offices and establish zero tolerance to traffic violations and plying of overloaded vehicles. They were asked to conduct regular drives to check traffic violations.

Reviewing the progress of works at the Panthayal Tunnel, the Chief Secretary directed the NHAI to double its efforts and complete the pending works by 15th April 2022.

The Chief Secretary emphasized that on completion, the tunnel will provide reliable connectivity by-passing the current landslide-prone stretch of NH-44 and as such will provide safe and secure transit to vehicles.

To further facilitate smooth traffic flow on the Ramban- Banihal stretch of the National Highway, the traffic police and district administration were directed to properly demarcate single-lane driving zones and ensure lane-driving and traffic discipline among the commuters. Dr. Mehta also emphasized wearing of body cameras by traffic police.

Srinagar: Around 104 to 135 militants are ready to sneak into the Indian side of the Line of Control (LoC), Raja Babu Singh, Inspector General (IG) of Border Security Force (BSF) said on Monday.

The IG BSF said that post ceasefire agreement last year, the overall situation on Kashmir LoC remained peaceful, but the fresh intelligence inputs suggest that 104 to 135 militants are ready to sneak into this side.

“Some guides have crossed over to the other side of LoC to facilitate the infiltration of the waiting militants. Their movement is being tracked and their families are under constant watch of security agencies,” the IG said while addressing the annual conference at the BSF headquarters in Humhama on the outskirts of Srinagar city.

The IG BSF Kashmir Frontier said, “Our inputs suggest that there are 104 to 135 militants at the launch pads who are ready to infiltrate into this side”.

“Their movement is being tracked. The primary job of the guide is to bring groups of militants along”, he said.

Asked about the drone threats on LoC, the IG BSF said that it guards 96 kms of LoC in Kashmir and the drone threat was real.

“We are procuring our own drones to counter the drone threat. Besides, a series of measures are in place to deal with drone threats,” he said.

He said that last year 17.3 kg heroin worth Rs 88 crore was seized on the LoC by BSF and all efforts are being made to foil bids aimed at transporting narcotics from LoC. He said the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan last year has not affected J&K in any form so far, but the security agencies are monitoring the situation closely. (IANS)

Jammu: Ahead of the Republic Day, the BSF troops deployed along the International Border (IB) in Jammu are on high alert to deal with nefarious attempts of anti-national elements (ANEs) from across the border.

“Keeping in mind the present security scenario, intelligence inputs on the eve of Republic Day, BSF Jammu has been on high alert on Jammu International Border (IB),” BSF said.

BSF said it is carrying out extensive Anti-Tunnelling drive, Special Patrolling and Depth area domination despite extremely hostile weather conditions.

“To strengthen the border domination, mobilisation of troops has been done. Regular monitoring of suspicious activities of counterpart is being carried out through surveillance equipment,” BSF said.

“A joint patrolling/exercise are also being conducted along with Army, CRPF and State Police to scuttle any nefarious attempts of ANEs.”

Pertinently, the BSF troops deployed on Jammu IB have been successful in foiling attempts from across the border by eliminating Pakistani intruders, seizing huge caches of arms and ammunition, narcotics and detecting tunnels in past one year. (IANS)