Geneva, Switzerland, Jan 26: The Covid-19 vaccine divide between rich and poor nations is worsening by the day, the World Health Organization warned insisting the failure to distribute doses fairly could cost the global economy trillions of dollars.
The WHO said it needed $26 billion this year for its programme aimed at speeding up the development, procurement and equitable delivery of vaccines, treatments and tests to beat the coronavirus pandemic.
“Rich countries are rolling out vaccines, while the world’s least-developed countries watch and wait,” lamented WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
“Every day that passes, the divide grows larger between the world’s haves and have nots,” he told a press conference.
“Vaccine nationalism might serve short-term political goals. But it’s in every nation’s own medium and long-term economic interest to support vaccine equity.”
Tedros cited a study commissioned by the Research Foundation of the International Chamber of Commerce, which represents more than 45 million companies in over 100 countries.
“Vaccine nationalism could cost the global economy up to $9.2 trillion, and almost half of that — $4.5 trillion — would be incurred in the wealthiest economies,” he said.
The report said that the financial damage of the pandemic in wealthy countries could not be fixed unless the impact of the crisis in developing nations was also addressed, due to the inter-connectivity of economies around the globe.
Tedros said investing in the so-called ACT Accelerator programme, to try to curtail the pandemic on a pooled and equitable basis, was therefore not charity, but simply “economic common sense”.
Tedros said that exactly a year ago, fewer than 1,500 cases of Covid-19 had been reported to the WHO, including just 23 outside of China, where the first clusters of infections were discovered.
“Vaccines are giving us hope, which is why every life we lose now is even more tragic. We must take heart, take hope and take action.”
He urged people to stick to the basics of physical distancing, hand washing, avoiding crowds and wearing masks while waiting their turn to get immunised.

Geneva, Jan 26: A senior World Health Organization (WHO) official warned of the risk of continued transmission of the Novel Coronavirus even after large-scale vaccinations in the foreseeable future.
Dr Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, told a virtual press conference that he doesn’t believe the world should start setting elimination or eradication of this virus as the bar for success.
“That is not the bar for success. The bar for success is reducing the capacity of this virus to kill, to put people in hospital, to destroy our economic and social lives,” Ryan said.
Asked whether COVID-19 will become an endemic, he emphasized that “for the foreseeable future, the coverage of vaccines will not reach a point where it will stop transmission. So we’re likely to have continued transmission.”
Noting that countries should probably not expect to get rid of the virus by 2021, Ryan reminded that so far in human history “we’ve only ever eradicated one disease on this planet: smallpox.”
“We have to reach a point where we’re in control of the virus,” he said.

New Delhi, Jan 26: During the farmers’ tractor rally in the national capital on Tuesday, a protesting farmer died after his tractor overturned at Central Delhi’s ITO, said police. Even though details about the deceased are yet to be gathered by the police, the farmer died as he was driving his tractor and came under its wheel.

The man died as his tractor overturned at ITO where many farmers participating in the parade had reached from the Ghazipur border after taking a detour off the pre-agreed route for the march, a senior police officer said.

The farmers draped the body in the tricolour and kept it at the ITO crossing, not allowing the police to send it for post-mortem.

The farmers also lashed out at the media persons covering the incident.

Protesting farmers clashed with police at several places in the national capital and entered the iconic Red Fort and ITO in the heart of the city on Tuesday after hundreds of them deviated from pre-decided routes, prompting security personnel to resort to lathi-charge and tear gas.

Chaotic scenes were witnessed at ITO, where hundreds of protesters could be seen chasing police personnel with sticks and ramming their tractors into the buses parked by police. (Agencies)

Nasir Azam
Srinagar, Jan 26: The election for the offices of chairpersons of district development councils (DDCs) in Jammu & Kashmir Union Territory is likely to take place next month, sources disclosed.
Highly placed sources told KNO that proposal for the reservation of offices of DDC chairpersons is expected to be finalized in the first week of February. “The State Election Commission is expected to come up with the final proposal in the first week of February after considering objections, if any, to draft reservation of offices of chairpersons of DDCs ,” they said, adding that elections would be held within 20 days after the SEC comes up with the final order on the reservations.

Going by the rules governing election for the posts of DDC chairpersons, the deputy commissioner concerned shall call a meeting of all elected members to elect one of its members to be chairperson of DDC and another to be vice-chairperson of DDC.

If the number of candidates for these posts is more than one, then election will take place through secret ballot.

The State Election Commission on Monday unveiled a draft proposal for reservation of offices of chairpersons of DDCs.

According to the proposal, posts of DDC chairpersons of Ganderbal, Shopian, Ramban and Kishtwar have been reserved for women, while Poonch has been kept exclusively for women from Schedule Tribe(ST) Category.

Similarly, offices of chairpersons of Anantnag and Rajouri have been reserved for STs while Jammu and Udhmapur seats have been reserved for SCs.

As per the SEC’s order, objections, if any, to the draft reservation of the offices of the chairperson shall be submit to the body by January 30, 2021.

Owais Gul

Srinagar, Jan 26: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday said that the Statehood will be given back to Jammu and Kashmir soon, adding that the report about the delimitation process should be submitted at earliest.
Pertinently, BJP observed 72nd Republic Day in Srinagar today where party’s General Secretary (Organization), Ashok Koul hoisted the tri-color.

Koul told media persons here that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have on the floor of the house promised that Statehood to J&K will be given back. “We believe that our leaders will fulfill the promises. We believe that the Statehood will be restored soon,” he said.
He added all the political parties as well as the people have the right to speak about their sentiments and demands & meet any top leader, adding that former minister and Apni Party president Syed Altaf Bukhari too has met the PM to express his views and raise his demands.
Koul also said that the situation has improved and will improve further in J&K.
Asked about the delimitation process, Koul said that the government has already constituted a delimitation commission and State Election Commission (SEC) in this regard. “I believe the work has been started already and they should submit the report in this regard at earliest,” he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Koul said that India is a Republic country and believes in democracy. “Today, Indians across the globe especially in India are celebrating the day. On this occasion, I congratulate people especially Kashmiris on this day and pray for the prosperity and peace for Kashmir,” he said.
He said the deadly pandemic seems at the verge of culmination as less than 100 cases are now surfacing in J&K. “I wish the peace will once again return Kashmir,” he said.

Sarhan Shafi
Srinagar, Jan 26: A joint team of CRPF and SOG on Tuesday recovered a grenade in Baramulla district of north Kashmir, officials said.
They said that during patrolling, 53 Batallion CRPF joined by SOG recovered the grenade at Sherpora Nallah in Chandoosa area of Baramulla. (GNS)

New Delhi, Jan 26: Beware if you are a Facebook user and have added your phone number on the social media platform as there are chances that your data, including your phone number and country name may be up for sale!

In a recent security breach, mobile phone numbers of over 500 million Facebook users are up for sale through a Telegram bot.

The case of data exploitation came under the scanner, when a security researcher named Alon Gal shared the issue on his Twitter account. He even shared photos reporting the number of users whose data has been compromised across the different nations.

According to security researcher Alon Gal (via Motherboard) the data includes phone numbers of over 60 lakh Indian users. The problem was first highlighted by Gal on microblogging site Twitter.

Gal said that the person who runs the bot claimed that the information of 533 million Facebook users came from a vulnerability that the social media giant patched in 2019.

But the vulnerability allowed almost everyone to have access to the phone numbers linked to Facebook accounts across the world. This was exploited to create a database of the social media user accounts and their numbers and is now being sold via the bot.

Anyone with a person’s phone number can find the Facebook user ID using the Telegram bot and vice versa. However, those who want to access the information will have to pay for it and this will cost them one credit. The person behind this bot is selling a phone number or Facebook user ID for USD 20. There is also bulk pricing for the data. The bot has fixed a charge of USD 5000 for 10,000 credits.

The Telegram bot is said to be running since at least January 12, 2021 but the data provided is from 2019. However, the data can be accurate considering that very few people change their phone numbers that often. According to the security researcher, users’ data from over 100 countries are up for sale through the bot.

Gal said that despite being a serious privacy concern, the issue was under-reported when it was first highlighted.

According to Motherboard’s report, if someone has a user’s phone number, then they can find their Facebook ID with the help of Telegram bot. However, the information is not free and for accessing the sensitive information, they will be required to pay a certain amount. The person who created the Telegram bot is selling a phone number or Facebook ID for $20. The bot is also selling Facebook users’ data in bulk. For 10,000 credits, the bot is charging $5,000, the report added.

Alan further expressed his concern over the security issue and said it is important that Facebook notify its users of this breach so they are less likely to fall victim to different hacking and social engineering attempts.

Tasaduq Hussain
Leh, Jan 26: The Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, RK Mathur while highlighting the series of steps taken for the development of the region assured people that no decision about identity, land, environment and related issues will be taken without their consent.
Mathur, while addressing the gathering on the 72nd Republic Day function said the last year went fighting the deadly Covid-19 pandemic and the region has been successful in maintaining and improving the medical facilities with improvement in oxygen plants and laboratories.
“Testing labs for the Covid were established. Medical staff problems were mitigated. Dedicated Covid hospitals are catering to patients very well. The Covid recovery rate has increased by 98 per cent. All similar facilities were made available in remote areas of Ladakh,” he said.
“Police, religious-political parties, private organizations along with the people of Ladakh have together fought the tough times,” he said while thanking all for the cooperation.
Mathur said Rs 23 crore were given for the procurement of new medical equipment for the two districts.
Mathur congratulated the social worker from Ladakh who has been honoured with the Padma Shri award and an Army officer who laid life in the region with Shurveer Chakra.
The LG said that the ensuing year has started on a very positive sign with a successful run of vacation across the region.
Mathur while thanking the former council for their services, encouraged the new council and said that the administration last year conducted successful Hill Council elections that witnessed a huge public participation.
“A series of initiatives are being taken to strengthen both the Councils (LAHDC- Leh & Kargil) that includes training. Enhanced budget and all other things are being impressed upon,” he said.
“To strengthen the grassroots democracy even in the frontier areas of the region the work to empower Panchayat Raj is underway through PRI’s,” Mathur said.
Mathur said the ongoing process of developing Ladakh vision 2050 with the NITI Aayog and also the Leh vision 2030.
He assured the people of Ladakh that every decision will be taken considering the aspirations and concerns of people,” he said. “There are many questions among the people about the land, identity, environment employment opportunity for youth and other issues.”
“385 regular employees have been inducted by the administration through LAHDC Kargil with 600 engagements through outsourcing in the Ladakh region and the recruitment process through outsourcing is an important step,” Mathur said.
The power connectivity has been improved in the region and expect it to be 24/7 across the region, he said—(KNO)

Precious Kashmir News
Srinagar, Jan 26: In connection with the celebration of 72nd Republic-Day, functions were held across Kashmir Division with great enthusiasm and fervour on Tuesday.
Republic Day is celebrated every year to commemorate the day when the constitution of India officially came into force on January 26, 1950.

Constitution has given equal rights to all citizens: DC Budgam
Budgam: The main function was organized at Sports Stadium Budgam where District Development Commissioner (DDC) Budgam, Shabaz Ahmed Mirza unfurled the tricolor, took salute on the march past presented on the occasion by the contingents of JKP, JKAP, CRPF, Home guards, NCC besides many students from educational institutions.
Addressing the gathering, the DDC said that the constitution has given equal rights to all citizens living in the country besides envisaging opportunities for sustainable development and progress. It shall be our sincere endeavor to strengthen its roots and follow constitution principles in letter and spirit.
The DDC on the occasion threw light on the development scenario in the district while touching all sectors. He said District Administration through relentless efforts taking all stakeholders along was able to achieve maximum targets in all key sectors despite facing odd circumstances due to Covid-19 pandemic.
During the celebration a variety of cultural programmes were displayed/presented jointly organized by the Department of Education and YSS besides the Information department.
In conclusion, awards for meritorious services were distributed among concerned officers and officials for demonstrating excellence in their respective fields.
The DDC also felicitated District Information Centre Budgam, its whole team for sustained and timely effective coverage of all events particularly during recently held DDC elections, besides during the testing time of unprecedented snow fall.

71 projects being approved in district: DC G’bal
Ganderbal
A function was organised at Qamaria ground, Ganderbal where, District Development Commissioner (DDC), Ganderbal Shafqat Iqbal unfurled the national flag and took salute at the March past.
In his address, while congratulating the people of Ganderbal, DDC lauded the importance of Republic Day celebration and highlighted the various developmental achievements registered by district administration in different sectors in the district besides implementation of welfare schemes.
To give a flip to the developmental activities in the district, the DDC said that under the Languishing project scheme, 71 projects are being approved to the tune of Rs 207 core and work on several other projects under different departments is also in full swing. Besides, other departments like Fisheries, FCS&CA, Labour and Employment, ULB, ICDS, Revenue, PDD, etc. have worked diligently to provide basic facilities at the door steps of people.
The function concluded with distribution of prizes among participants and students who excelled in different fields.

Pulwama has become synonymous with Industrial growth: DC
Pulwama: The function was organized at DPL Pulwama, where Deputy Commissioner (DC) Pulwama, Dr Raghav Langer unfurled the tricolor and took salute at March past comprising of the contingents from Police, CRPF, JKAP, Fire & Emergency, Home Guard, Forest Guards and NYC’s.
In his address, DC said Pulwama has become synonymous with Industrial growth, excellence in education and entrepreneurship. He highlighted various developmental works and achievements of the district particularly in Agriculture, Horticulture, Industry, R&B and other sectors.
While praising the developmental trajectory the district has embarked, he said that Lt-Governor Manoj Sinha during his visit to Pulwama district e-inaugurated 20 development projects worth Rs 40.86 crore and laid foundation stones for seven projects of public importance worth Rs 13.47 crore.
While hailing the efforts of the medical fraternity in Covid mitigation measures, he said that Doctors, Health Workers, ASHA’S are at forefront in making the Covid Vaccination programme a success.
On the occasion, local Artists presented various Cultural items like songs, skits, chakri, Ladishah and Bangra.
Meanwhile, Officers, Officials, Students, Organizations and Individuals were awarded on achieving excellence in their respective fields.

Many dev projects of great public significance completed by admin: DC Bla
Baramulla: The main function was held at District Police Lines, Baramulla where the Additional District Development Commissioner Baramulla Aijaz Abdullah Saraf unfurled the tricolor and inspected the parade and took salute at the March past presented by the contingents of J&K Police, CRPF, BSF, Home Guards, Fire and Emergency Services, Students among other bands.
Speaking on the occasion, the ADDC extended his warm greetings to the people and highlighted the importance of R- Day in the history of India. He enlisted various achievements recorded by the district in different sectors and said that several developmental projects of great public significance have been completed by the administration.
He also highlighted various initiatives taken by the district administration to combat the challenge of Covid-19 pandemic.
Various colorful cultural programmes were presented at the event which evoked quite applause from the audience.
Later, a prize distribution ceremony was organized during which different functionaries viz officers/officials, COVID-19 warriors, best performing cultural artists, parade commanders among others were felicitated.

DC Ang highlights achievements under various sectors
Anantnag: The main function was held at District Police Lines (DPL) Anantnag, where Deputy Commissioner, Anshul Garg unfurled the tricolour and took salute at the March past presented by the contingents of CRPF, Executive Police, IRP, District Ladies Police, Home guards and District Police Band.
In his speech, the DC highlighted the achievements of the district under various sectors including, Education, Healthcare, Communication, Agriculture & Allied Sectors, Rural Development, Road Connectivity, creation of Durable & sustainable assets.
He said that 254 works have been completed so far, which were demanded by the general public during the first two phases of the B2V programme and a target of 1050 works has been set to be achieved during the current financial year under the said programme.
He said under the Languishing Scheme, 128 works of different nature with an estimated cost of Rs.246 Cr have been sanctioned in which 56 works stand completed.
The artists of District Information Centre Anantnag presented Colourful Cultural programmes on the occasion.
Later, the participants of March Past, meritorious students from different schools of the district and officers of district administration were awarded with mementos and certificates for their excellent performance.

Everyone should follow rules, regulations: DC Shopian
Shopian: The main event was held at District Police Lines Shopian, where Deputy Commissioner (DC) Shopian, Shrikant Balasaheb Suse hoisted the national flag and took salute at the March past presented by the contingents of CRPF, JK Police, JKAP, Home guards, Fire and Emergency Services ,District Youth & Sports besides school children of various educational institutions.
Addressing the function, the DC said that this day is celebrated as a reminder for everyone to follow all the rules and regulations laid down in the Constitution and prove ourselves as responsible citizens of the country.
While enlisting the developmental activities carried out during this year in the district, Suse said that the R&B department is working on 33 road projects worth Rs 130.60 crore and under PMGSY, it is working on 20 projects worth Rs 100 crore.
He said that under PMAY (urban), 57 beneficiaries were benefited and Rs 57.26 lacs were transferred into their accounts through DBT.
On the occasion, special colourful cultural programmes were presented by District Information Centre Shopian and school children of various educational institutions.
Later, prizes were also distributed among the officers and functionaries of the administration.

Under Sehat health scheme, 1.02 lakh registrations completed in Kulgam: DC
Kulgam: The main function was held at District Police Lines Kulgam, where District Development Commissioner (DDC) Kulgam, Showkat Aijaz Bhat, hoisted the National flag and took salute at the March past presented by the contingents of CRPF, JKP, JKP ladies police group, Home guard, fresh recruits, NCC cadets and school children.
Speaking on the occasion, the DDC highlighted developmental activities and achievements recorded this year in the district. He said under 14th FC 1370 work projects were completed and a road length of 167 Kms were macadamised and 12 major bridges were completed benefitting more than one lakh population of these areas.
The DDC said that under Jal Jeevan Mission, a plan of Rs. 356.31 crore was approved and work on several other projects have also been taken up.
He also said that under SEHAT health scheme 1.02 lakh registrations have been completed and an amount of Rs 8.49 crore was provided to the beneficiaries under state marriage assistance scheme besides under PM- KISAN, 52.44 crore were credited among beneficiaries through DBT mode.
Later, the DDC distributed awards among officers, officials, social workers, writers, artists, student’s and agrarains to felicitate them for their work.
Multiple colorful Cultural programmes and Martial Arts were presented on the occasion.

New era of dev ushered in Kupwara: DC
Kupwara: The main function was held at District Police Lines (DPL), Kupwara where Deputy Commissioner (DC) Kupwara, Imam Din unfurled the National Flag, inspected the parade and took salute at march-past presented by contingents of JKP, JKAP, CRPF, IRP, Home Guards, FPF, SPF and police band.
While addressing the function, the DC congratulated the people on the eve of Republic Day and said that it is because of great values of the Constitution that a new era of development has ushered in this far flung district.
While enlisting the developmental activities carried out during this year in the district, the DC said that border areas, situated at LOC got grid connectivity for the first time, this year.
He also said that 161 projects costing Rs. 458 crore are under the Languishing Projects scheme, of which 26 works have been completed, while more 60 works shall be completed by June 2021. Under PMAY, 1400 houses have been completed out of the target of 1580.
The DC also mentioned the progress of Revenue, Police, Jal Shakti, Labour, PDD and other departments including Media and Information who worked during the challenging times of the year.
A variety of cultural programmes and martial art was presented by the school children, Police and Information Department, Kupwara.
Later, the DC distributed awards and certificates of appreciation among the officers and functionaries of the administration.