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Gurez still cut off

Srinagar: Roads to dozens of far-flung and remote villages, including those near the Line of Control (LoC), reopened on Thursday after remaining closed for two days due to slippery road conditions following fresh snowfall but the border town of Gurez is still disconnected.

“Dozens of far-flung and remote villages, including Machil, Kernah and Tanghdar, were reconnected with district headquarter in Kupwara on Thursday after clearance of snow and improvement in weather conditions,” an official of Police Control Room (PCR), Kupwara, said.

He said Sadhna top, Z gali and other tops received about a foot of fresh snowfall earlier this week, resulting in closure of roads to these border areas. However, he said Border Road Organization (BRO), responsible for the maintenance of the border roads, pressed into service sophisticated machines and cleared the snow.

He said traffic has been restored on Kupwara-Keran road though the vehicles are currently plying only till Munden, which is a few km from the main town.

Official sources said that Gurez remained cut off from its tehsil and district headquarter in Bandipora from last over three months.

“The snow clearance operation was almost complete and the repair work was to be started on Bandipora-Gurez road,” they added.

The Bandipora-Gurez road was to be reopened for traffic in the first week of April. But, the reopening date was delayed due to fresh heavy snowfall last month.

People of Gurez and adjoining border villages have been demanding a tunnel near the Razdan pass so that the border area remains connected with the rest of the valley throughout the year.

Indian men’s hockey team play out 4-4 draw against Argentina

Buenos Aires: After losing 3-4 to India in the first practice match, Olympic Champions Argentina quelled India’s chances of a second consecutive victory as they made a strong comeback to hold the visitors 4-4 in a thrilling practice match here.

It was Varun Kumar (7′ and 44′), Rajkumar Pal (13′), Rupinder Pal Singh (14′) who scored for India while Leandro Tolini (10′), Lucas Toscani (23′), Ignacio Ortiz (42′), Lucas Martinez (57′) scored for the home team on Wednesday.

India made a fine start in the first quarter with a well-structured attack that fetched them three goals ensuring an early lead. The first goal was courtesy forward Mandeep Singh who helped India earn a PC in the 7th minute which was effortlessly converted by dragflicker Varun Kumar.

Though an early 1-0 lead put the home side on the backfoot, they bounced back in the 10th minute when they earned a PC.

Tolini, who scored twice in the previous match, came up with a well-executed dragflick to equalise.

India, however, regained the lead with Rajkumar Pal’s goal in the 13th minute. He was assisted by Nilakanta Sharma who has been in good nick, showing his prowess as an attacking midfielder.

In the following minute, a PC earned by India forward Lalit Upadyay saw Rupinder score a splendid goal, taking India’s lead to 3-1 in the 14th minute.

The second quarter began with both teams trading PCs with each other but none were successful. However, in the 23rd minute, Argentina’s Toscani struck a fine goal to narrow India’s lead to 3-2.

Though India replied with an aggressive attack, it was unable to create successful forays into the striking circle.

Following the 10-minute halftime break, both teams vied to dominate with the ball and played on par with each other to keep the tempo up.

It was eventually Argentina who succeeded in breaking the gridlock in this quarter by earning a PC which was well-struck by Argentina’s attacking midfielder Ignacio Ortiz.

The 3-3 equaliser didn’t dampen India’s spirit as it successfully scored the fourth goal via forward Dilpreet Singh who made a successful entry into the striking circle, earning India a PC in the 44th minute.

Varun made no mistake in converting the goal and regaining the lead for India.

With the visitor ahead only by a goal, the last quarter was a battle of nerves with the home team stepping on the gas to secure an equaliser.

Though it created a PC in the early minutes of the fourth quarter, it was well-saved by India custodian Krishan Pathak but he could do little to stop Lucas’s field goal in the 57th minute, thus ending the game in a 4-4 stalemate.

India will next face Argentina in the FIH Hockey Pro League match on April 11.

Delving into the sub-conscious to heal physical manifestations of disease

By: Vishnu Makhijani

The physical manifestations of diseases in our present life can be linked to cellular memories from the past, including even childhood or early stages of our present life � especially when the stored memories area negative or traumatic, says Natwar Sharma, a member of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health who has trained at the Apollo Hospitals, Chennai, in his new book, “Metaphors of Memory” (Westland).

During his studies, he encountered certain anomalies for which mainstream medicine had no answer. This made him probe deeper into the cause and origin of diseases and opened his vision to alternative and holistic therapies of healing. He ended up discovering the science of regression therapy, which he combines with his practice of mainstream medicine. He hopes to bring about a paradigm shift in the field of health by bridging these conventional and non-conventional techniques of healing.

“Regression therapy delves into the sub-conscious mind to explore the link between one’s present life and that of their past. Releasing these memories and negative energies (associated with our past or this life), helps understand and articulate the root cause of a problem, be it physical, emotional or mental, bothering us and help with recovery,” Sharma explained to IANS in an interview.

“Regression is an age-old practise that is well known, but every one of us rediscovers something or other for ourselves. And as a student of science, when I was not getting the answers, I had to look for answers and that’s where the journey began. I began with scepticism and to understand if it actually works, and the journey since then has been amazing – filled with wonder as how to powerful a human mind is,” he added.

How does this work on the ground? How is it possible to access powerful subconscious patterns and unlock a curative pathway?

“This question can be better answered with the help of an example. I had a client with insomnia – meaning inability to sleep well. She told me that she is unable to sleep well for the last two years and in these two years her diabetes and hypertension have gone out of control and her doctor mentioned that sleep is very important to control diabetes and hypertension and hence put her on sleeping pills. But she was not happy with this fact that she had to take pills to sleep well.

“On questioning, she could not find out anything that was disturbing her either emotionally or psychologically. But when I took her into a trance, her mind took her back into a memory 20 years ago, when her relative had died in a car accident following which she was in shock for almost a week but recovered.

“And then another memory opened up, which was two years ago, when she was asleep and got a call from her son saying that he met an accident and his car has totalled. She was completely shocked, trembling with fear and rushed to the accident site which was not far from home. Fortunately nothing happened to her son, he was fine. But since then a strong thought crept into her mind that something bad might happen when she is asleep. And when we resolved this trauma, within a week she was able to sleep well without medications and her BP and diabetes got better,” Sharma elaborated.

“In another case, a person had developed a severe anaphylactic (allergic) reaction when munching on bhakarwadi, leaving doctors perplexed. During regression, he shared that there was, in fact, a fruit fly on his snack while he had been eating it. This could have caused anaphylaxis. But, he had completely forgotten the detail until we did the regression,” Sharma said.

At the same time, regression therapy is not a cure-all, he cautions.

“If you have a patient with kidney failure, there is no way that alternative therapy can come to their rescue. I let my patients know that. Yes, if the disease is a progressive one, it can inhibit the speed at which it is progressing,” he said.

Sharma also spoke of the long road ahead.

“Unfortunately most medical doctors don’t know what regression therapy is. And even, if a medical doctor comes across this mode of therapy, it’s looked upon with scepticism. And I don’t blame the medical fraternity for this, because the science behind regression is yet to develop and it can be nurtured with the help of well-designed studies to see its benefits. Just because science cannot prove something, it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist – absence of evidence doesn’t mean evidence of absence’. Hence this book is to provoke my medical community to approach it with an open mind.

“I respect their choice and I know fully well where the scepticism comes from. For most part, I never even spoke about it with others doctors. It was only three years ago that I started my own website. But, having reaped the benefits of it myself, I somehow felt it’s time to share these experiences with everyone else. My own journey has been of one that started with conviction and trust, to becoming a believer, and having great faith in it,” Sharma maintained.

This gives him reason to be optimistic.

“I see a wonderful future for people with chronic illnesses if medical science starts combining regression therapy to complement each other,” Sharma concluded.

(Vishnu Makhijani can be reached at [email protected])

Courtesy Indo-Asian News Service

 

 

Mental Issues Remain Challenging 

Covid-19 has had negative impact on the mental health of people. The rapidly increasing second wave has exacerbated the concerns and challenges across the globe. The covid-19 pandemic has brought about uneasy feelings that causes further mental health issues and gets aggravated given the current state of mental health system in J&K. The system is not prepared to deal with what may become a global mental health pandemic and answer to questions on ways to address it remains questionable.

At a seminar in Kashmir University on April 7, some experts said that the negative impact of the covid-19 on mental health of people has been such that it has had an “exponential increase of narcotics abuse globally.”

The 19 pandemic has already caused suffering on a magnitude that is unprecedented in living memory as thousands of people have lost their livelihoods and are struggling financially. Thousands of people have lost loved ones.  The health and financial costs of the pandemic have resulted in widespread feelings of helplessness and overwhelming anxiety and despair in response to circumstances over which people have little or no control.

The second wave of the pandemic only threatens to be driven by intense feelings of anxiety and despair when the world is no longer predictable and safe amid higher unemployment and financial issues coupled with traumatic memories of the death of a partner, parent, or loved ones for lot of people.

The mental health issues in the context of the pandemic are more complex and challenging, experts say. Soon after the covid-19 pandemic started, there were reports about people suffering from increased stress, anxiety, depression, insomnia, denial, anger, and fear due to varied reasons including due to isolation, loss of loved ones, economic uncertainty and the fear of contracting the disease.

As per an expert, nearly half of patients do not have any history of mental illness and despite the lifting of lockdown previously, the number of cases remained largely the same.

Going forward is going to be challenging. There is need for developing and implementing programs aimed at enhancing resilience and treating individuals struggling with the mental health issues as a consequence of COVID-19 and that too on urgent priority. Large scale proactive measures are needed to be taken while course of the pandemic remains uncertain. Otherwise, the pandemic’s long-term impact on mental health could easily be as devastating and costly as the financial impact of the pathogen.

Precious Kashmir Exclusive: After RERA, J&K begins process to set up Real Estates Appellate Tribunal

By: Ibni Maqbool

Srinagar: After setting the ball rolling for constitution of the Real Estates Regulatory Authority (RERA) in J&K, the administration has started the process to appoint members of the Real Estates Appellate Tribunal(REAT) in the Union Territory. The establishment of both these bodies is aimed at regulating real estate business in J&K UT.

The Housing & Urban Development Department has initiated the process for appointment of judicial member and technical or administrative member of REAT.

According to condition governing appointment of the judicial member, he/she shall have held a judicial office in the territory of India for at least fifteen years or has been a member of the Indian legal service and has held the post of additional secretary of that service or any equivalent post, or has been an advocate for at least 20 with years experience in dealing with real estate matters.

The person to be appointed as technical or administrative member shall be well-versed in the field of urban development, housing, real estate development, infrastructure, economics, planning, law, commerce, accountancy, industry, management, public affairs or administration and possesses experience of at least 20 years in the field or who has held the post in the central government, or a state government equivalent to the post of additional secretary to the government of India or an equivalent post in the central government or an equivalent post in the state government.

The members of the Appellate Tribunal shall be appointed by the government on the recommendations of a selection committee consisting of the Chief Justice of Jammu & Kashmir High Court or his nominee, the secretary of the department dealing with Housing and the Law Secretary.

Before appointing any person as a member, the UT Government shall satisfy itself that the person does not have any such financial or other interest, as is likely to prejudicially affect his functions as such member.

The Tribunal will be headed by a person who has been a judge of the High Court, who shall be appointed by the UT government in consultation with the Chief Justice of High Court or his nominee.

On February 15, this newspaper had exclusively reported that the government has set the ball rolling for the constitution of the Real Estates Regulatory Authority in Jammu and Kashmir.

The RERA adjudicates disputes related to real-estate projects while REAT can examine the legality of orders passed by the RERA and decide whether to uphold or overturn them.

Both these bodies are constituted under The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016” and “The J&K Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Rules, 2020”.

COVID-19 mutated strain may have entered into J&K, says DAK president

By: Zehra Shafi
Srinagar: Amidst spike in COVID-19 cases in Jammu and Kashmir, Doctors Association of Kashmir (DAK) on Wednesday said that there was every possibility about mutated strain having entered into the Union Territory.
In an exclusive interview to Precious Kashmir, DAK president and flu expert Dr Nisar-ul-Hassan said, “A mutated strain may have entered J&K and it can be from the United Kingdom, South Africa, Brazil or any other region. We need to identify it first and then treat patients accordingly. But that is possible only when we do full genome sequencing or genetic testing of COVID-19 suspects.”
“If there are 500 positive samples, at least 10 to 15 should be sent for genomic analysis to understand the nature of this deadly virus,” he added.
The DAK president said that the past couple of weeks had witnessed a decline in the number of COVID-19 patients, both in communities as well as hospitals. “But with a huge tourist influx (both national and international), there is a possibility that a mutated strain has already sneaked into J&K,” he claimed.
Dr Nisar said that the behaviour of people in terms of following COVID-19 guidelines is also one of the reasons for resurgence of the virus in J&K. “The numbers are expected to rise in the coming days as there are still people who are susceptible to the virus,” he added.
Talking about the second wave, the DAK president said the virus has once again become dangerous and the wave that has already engulfed the region, will be at its peak till April end or the beginning of next month. “The second Covid wave is behaving aggressively and we need to understand that opening public parks, participating in large gatherings, walking in crowded markets or organising cultural events can be disastrous for Kashmiris,” he said.
Asked about the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccine, Dr Nisar said it is the biggest gift to humanity as it can stop the virus from spreading at a larger scale.
He added that out of 1.25 crore population, only one or two lakh people in J&K have taken the two-dose shots. “If science has not given us anything, it gave us vaccinations. It is because of these medical inventions that we are alive. Diseases like Polio and Chickenpox were eradicated from the world only because of vaccines. It is the only way out,” he said.
Stressing on the fact that proper education needs to be given to people about the benefits of vaccine shots, Dr Nisar said health educators can play a very important role by explaining it to masses that vaccinations are important to keep the virus at bay. He also said it is unfortunate that people are taking it lightly, without even caring about those who are at high risk of catching the virus.
“One person can spread a virus to the entire community. But that doesn’t mean people will have to live under lockdown for years. Practically it’s impossible. So ramp up the vaccination processes and vaccinate as many people as possible and that too quickly to break the chain of virus transmission,” he said.
The DAK President urged people to adhere to health guidelines to avoid a catastrophic slipup. “Covid virus is peaking up and it may continue for months but if people follow SOPs, the virus will die down eventually and there will be a decrease in cases and fewer fatalities as compared to last year,” he said.

Need to go for genetic testing of COVID-19 suspects
> J&K all set to witness another peak by end of this month
> Large gatherings, crowded markets, cultural events can prove catastrophic
> Vaccine biggest gift to humanity, it can stop virus from spreading

COVID-19: J&K witnesses major surge, 812 new cases, 6 deaths

Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Government on Wednesday informed that 812 new positive cases of coronavirus (347 from Jammu division and 465 from Kashmir division), have been reported thus taking the total number of positive cases in Jammu and Kashmir to 1,34,827.

Also six deaths have been reported, 04 from Jammu Division and 02 from Kashmir Division.

Moreover, 254 more COVID-19 patients have recovered and discharged from various hospitals including 62 from Jammu Division and 192 from Kashmir Division.

According to the daily Media Bulletin on novel Corona virus (Covid-19), out of 134827 positive cases, 5035 are Active Positive, 1,27,774 have recovered and 2,018 have died; 745 in Jammu division and 1,273 in Kashmir division.

The Bulletin further said that out of 63,29,888 test results available, 61,95,061 samples have been tested as negative till April 7.

Till date 15,66,425 persons have been enlisted for observation which included 60,002 persons in home quarantine including facilities operated by government, 5,035 in isolation and 1,23,282 in home surveillance.

Besides, 13,76,088 persons have completed their surveillance period.

COVID-19: India sees highest single-day rise, records 1.15 lakh new cases

New Delhi: India on Wednesday reported 1,15,736 fresh Covid-19 cases, the highest single-day hike since the outbreak of the pandemic, pushing the tally to 1,28,01,785, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

This is the second day when the cases have breached the 1-lakh mark as on Monday, the country had registered 1,03,558 cases.

With 630 daily new fatalities, the death toll also increased to 1,66,177,as per the Ministry data till 0800 hrs this morning.

The 630 new fatalities comprise of Maharashtra-297, Punjab-61, Chhattisgarh-53 from, Karnataka-39, Uttar Pradesh-30, Madhya Pradesh-18, Delhi and Gujarat -17 each, Tamil Nadu-15, Kerala-14 and 13 deaths were reported from Rajasthan.

It is for the 28th straight day in a row that the active cases are seeing an upward tend to stand at 8,43,473.

The recovery rate, the data shows, has further dropped to 92.11 per cent.

While the total recoveries increased to 1,17,92,135, the case fatality rate has come down to 1.30 per cent.

Of the 1,66,177 deaths reported till date in the country , 56,330 were reported from Maharashtra, 12,804 from Tamil Nadu, 12,696 from Karnataka, 11,113 from Delhi, 10,355 from West Bengal, 8,924 from Uttar Pradesh and 7,251 from Andhra Pradesh and 7,216 from Punjab.

As many as 25,14, 39,598 samples have been tested till now with 12,08, 339 samples being tested on Tuesday, as per the the ICMR.

On Tuesday, Dr VK Paul, who heads the country’s COVID-19 task force, said that the next four weeks will be critical as the cases were spreading faster than last time.

Addressing a press briefing, Dr Paul had said, ‘The intensity of the pandemic has increased and it is spreading faster than the time. In some states, the condition is worse than others but the upswing can be observed across the country’.

2-dose vaccination no guarantee that you won’t get Covid

New Delhi/Lucknow: A successful doctor couple in their 60s, who live in the posh Gomti Nagar locality in Lucknow, received both doses of Covid vaccine last month. Re-energised, they resumed private practice at their clinic. But to their horror, both of them have now been found Covid positive.

A family member told IANS on condition of anonymity that even she and her kid are now Covid positive as she visited her parents in the last few days.

They are not alone as news emerged from Lucknow that at least 40 doctors of King George’s Medical University (KGMU), including Vice Chancellor Lt Gen (retd) Vipin Puri, have tested positive for novel coronavirus, despite most of them taking both the doses of the vaccine.

Alarmingly, this is the second time since last August that Vice Chancellor Puri has been infected by the virus, indicating that re-infection is also happening. He was administered the second dose of vaccine on March 25.

As India doubles down on vaccination, such reports are worrisome as they may desist people from going for the jab.

Satish Kaul, HOD and Director, internal medicine, Narayana Hospital, Gurugram, said that the vaccine basically provides protection from the severity of the disease.

“It saves us from getting chronically sick; it potentially saves us from ICU, ventilator and oxygen support and helps weaken the mechanism of the disease in human body,” Kaul told IANS.

“Hence, vaccine beneficiaries are supposed to continue wearing masks, maintain social distancing and observe Covid-appropriate behaviour even after getting vaccinated. Also, after taking the second dose, be extra cautious for at least two weeks and follow all precautionary measures,” he advised.

WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris said during a United Nations news briefing on Tuesday that at this stage, “we would not like to see vaccination passports as a requirement for entry or exit because we are not sure at this stage that the vaccine prevents transmissions”.

Vaccine passports are the digital proof that a person is fully vaccinated before starting any travel. A few options for vaccine passports exist for Americans and other countries and regions are also working on such digital travel documents.

According to Neha Gupta, infectious diseases specialist at Medanta-The Medicity Gurgaon, vaccination doesn’t guarantee 100 per cent immunity against novel coronavirus.

“However, the vaccine decreases the severity of the disease. It’s important to continue Covid-appropriate precautions like wearing fitted mask, hand hygiene and social distancing,” she told IANS.

Farooq discharged from hospital

Srinagar: Former J&K Chief Minister and National Conference President Farooq Abdullah was discharged from Sher-e-Kashmir Institute Of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) here on Wednesday evening.

Announcing the news, his son and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that his father has been instructed by his doctors to focus on his recovery, and won’t be meeting visitors for the time being.

“Five days after being admitted to SKIMS, Srinagar with COVID my father was discharged this evening. He will continue the rest of his recovery and recuperation at home. My father and the entire family are indebted & deeply grateful to the doctors, nursing staff and others at the institute,” Omar Abdullah said in a tweet.

“My father has been instructed by his doctors to focus on his recovery and for the time being will not be allowed visitors. He looks forward to completing his recovery so he can resume a full schedule of work.”

About reports that Farooq Abdullah had again tested positive for Covid, Omar Abdullah said that it is not unusual and his father is responding well to the treatment.

“This is nothing unusual. COVID patients often test positive for quite a few days as the viral load reduces. The important thing is he is responding well to treatment and does not require any supplementary oxygen support,” he said.

Farooq Abdullah had tested positive, days after he had taken the first Covid jab.