New Delhi, Dec 22: A mutated and more aggressive strain of the novel coronavirus – which was first identified in the United Kingdom in September – has not been seen in India so far, the government said Tuesday.
The new strain – initial data suggests it is at least 70 per cent more easily transmitted – has sparked concern worldwide, amid surging infection rates in the UK and fears the first lot of vaccines may not be as effective against the mutation.
“The new strain or mutation of (the) coronavirus in the United Kingdom has not been seen in India, so far,” Dr VK Paul, a member of government think-tank NITI Aayog, said.
“(And) as of now, it has no impact on the potential of vaccines being developed in our country and (which) are available in other countries,” he added.
India has joined over 25 other countries in imposing a temporary ban on all flights to and from the UK; the ban begins midnight Wednesday and will be in place till December 31.
This morning the government also announced SOPs for all incoming passengers until then.
The SOPs include mandatory RT-PCR tests for all arrivals and isolation for those testing positive, as well as institutional quarantine for contacts of passengers who test positive. According to the government, “contacts” will include all those within three rows of the infected passenger.
Eight passengers who arrived last night on two separate flights from London have tested positive for the virus. Those on a British Airways flight that landed in Delhi today were tested but found negative.

Jammu, Dec 22: Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday recorded six more deaths due to Novel Coronavirus, taking the toll of deaths so far to 1,850 while fresh 308 positive cases were reported in the Union territory today, taking the toll up to 118,803.

The government informed that 308 new positive cases of novel Corona virus (COVID-19), 174 from Jammu division and 134 from Kashmir division, have been reported today thus taking the total number of positive cases in Jammu and Kashmir to 118803. “Also, 06 COVID-19 deaths have been reported; 05 from Jammu division and 01 from Kashmir Division,” the government said in a statement.
Moreover, 281 more COVID-19 patients have recovered and discharged from various hospitals including 111 from Jammu Division and 170 from Kashmir Division.

According to the daily Media Bulletin on novel Corona virus (Covid-19), out of 118803 positive cases, 3646 are Active Positive, 113307 have recovered and 1850 have died; 681 in Jammu division and 1169 in Kashmir division.

The Bulletin further said that out of 3581035 test results available, 3462232 samples have been tested as negative till December22, 2020.

Till date 852990 persons have been enlisted for observation which included 18844 persons in home quarantine including facilities operated by government, 3646 in isolation and 28182 in home surveillance. Besides, 800468 persons have completed their surveillance period.

Providing district-wise breakup, the Bulletin said that Srinagar has 24816 positive cases (including 65cases reported today) with 679 Active Positive, 23694 recovered (including52 cases recovered today), 443 deaths; Baramulla has 7866 positive cases (including 14 cases reported today) with 162 Active Positive, 7534 recovered (including 23 cases recovered today), 170deaths; Pulwama reported 5440 positive cases (including 12 case reported today) with 184 active positive cases, 5168 recovered (including 18 cases recovered today), 88 deaths; Kulgam has 2644 positive cases (including 04 case reported today) with 67 Active Positive, 2524 recoveries and 53 deaths; Shopian has 2462 positive cases (including 01 case reported today) with 88 Active Positive, 2337 recovered and 37 deaths; Anantnag district has 4748positive cases (including 04 cases reported today) with 121 Active Positive, 4545 recovered (including 10cases recovered today), 82 deaths; Budgam has 7454 positive cases (including 21 cases reported today) with 185 Active Positive and 7163 recovered (including 23 cases recovered today), 106 deaths; Kupwara has 5457 positive cases (including 02 cases reported today) with 147 Active Positive, 5221 recovered (including 15cases recovered today), 89 deaths; Bandipora has 4617 positive cases with 98 Active Positive, 4461 recovered (including 03 cases recovered today), 58 deaths and Ganderbal has 4431 positive cases (including 04 cases reported today) with 111 active positive cases, 4277recoveries (including 26 cases recovered today) and 43 deaths.

Similarly, Jammu has 23051positive cases (including 99 cases reported today) with 852 active positive cases, 21853 recoveries (including 28 cases recovered today), 346 deaths; Rajouri has 3787 positive cases (including 10 cases reported today) with 224 active positive cases, 3509 recovered (including 10 cases recovered today), 54 deaths; Ramban has 2072 positive cases with 40 active positive, 2011 recoveries and 21 deaths; Kathua has 3121 positive cases (including 07 cases reported today) with 84 Active positive, 2989 recovered (including 13 cases recovered today), 48 deaths; Udhampur has 4037 positive cases (including 14 cases reported today) with 128 active positive cases, 3852 recovered (including 31 cases recovered today) and 57 deaths; Samba has 2695 positive cases (including 14 cases reported today) with 229 Active Positive, 2429 recoveriesand 37 deaths; Doda has 3348 positive cases (including 06 cases reported today) with 82 active positive cases, 3205 recoveries (including 12 cases recovered today), 61 deaths; Poonch has 2436 positive cases (including 02cases reported today) with 29 active positive, 2385 recoveriesand 22 deaths; Reasi has 1611 positive cases with 61 active positive, 1536recoveries and 14 deaths while Kishtwar has 2710 positive cases with 75 active positive cases and 2614 recoveries (including 17 cases recovered today) and 21 deaths.

According to the bulletin, among the total 118803 positive cases, 11147 have been reported as travellers while 107656 as others.

The Bulletin said that the breakup represents districts from which the patients have been traced or are ordinarily residing.

The bulletin added that there are 1321 COVID dedicated beds, 1185 Isolation beds with 1075 vacant beds and 136 ICU beds where 92 beds are vacant in Jammu division while there are 2345 COVID dedicated beds, 2197 Isolation beds where 1898 beds are vacant and 148 ICU beds where 122 are vacant beds in Kashmir division. There are total of 3666 COVID dedicated beds, 3382 Isolation beds with 2973 beds vacant and 284 ICU beds with 214 vacant beds in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir—(KNO)

Precious Kashmir News
Srinagar, Dec 22: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Tuesday claimed to have arrested an accused, resident of Srinagar (J&K) in an on-going investigation of a case over the allegations of running online child sexual abuse racket from India.
“CBI had registered a case under section 67 B of IT Act and Sec. 14 of POCSO Act, 2012 against an accused, resident of Srinagar (Jammu & Kashmir) on the allegations of running online child sexual abuse racket from India, targeting minors living in USA. It was further alleged that the accused uploaded the pornographic videos and images over the dark web for financial gains and also involved in direct communication with many minors in the USA. His wife is living in Washington, USA,” a statement issued to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) reads.
It added that the accused was allegedly operating through his wife, who had agreed to be involved in a Master – Slave relationship with the accused and on his direction, she allegedly exploited multiple minors, recorded these abuses and electronically sent the same to him. It was also alleged that when the victims refused to follow his dictate, he shared these videos and images with their family members, the statement said.
According to the statement, the searches were conducted at the premises of the accused at Srinagar which led to recovery of incriminating digital evidence including 3 laptops, 5 mobiles, pen drives, hand written notes etc.
The arrested accused is being produced today before the Competent Court at Srinagar, it said, adding that CBI regularly coordinates with international law enforcement agencies to detect & investigate sexual abuse of minors, especially over the cyber space and also reaffirms its commitment towards promoting cooperation with US Law Enforcement Agencies in combating child sexual abuse in cyber space.
“Consistent and conscious efforts are being made to identify and detain criminals involved in sexual exploitation of minors. CBI had recently traced and arrested an accused, resident of District Chitrakoot (Uttar Pradesh) on 16.11.2020 on the allegations of sexually abusing over 50 children in the Districts of Chitrakoot, Banda and Hamirpur (Uttar Pradesh). During searches, huge material including mobile phones, laptops, web-camera, electronic storage devices, Pen Drives/Memory Cards, several sex toys, emails etc. were recovered,” the statement said.

Srinagar, Dec 22: Employees cannot seek to selectively apply the relevant recruitment rules to their liking, Jammu and Kashmir High Court said as it dismissed a petition by J&K Tourism Development Corporation Employees Union, seeking same treatment as given to employees of SKICC in the matter of pension scheme.

“The petitioners cannot seek to selectively apply the relevant recruitment rules to their liking. The petitioners are governed by express statutory rules which set out the terms and conditions of the services of employees, including the petitioners, therefore, the petitioners cannot claim for amendment in the service rules through the medium of the instant petition,” said a bench of Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey while responding in negative to the question that despite there being clear rule position with regard to the services in the Corporation being non-pensionable, can the members of the Union still claim pensionary benefits in their favour on the analogy of other Government Corporations/ Departments.

“The petitioners and other employees of the Corporation cannot deviate from the terms and conditions of service upon which they have been appointed.”

The court said that once an employee accepts the terms and conditions governing a particular service at the time of entry in that service, he/ she subsequently cannot turn around and contend that the certain portion of the rules governing such service is not tenable. “This Court cannot issue directions to the legislature to enact a particular legislation. Same is true as regards the executive when it exercises the power to make rules, which are in the nature of subordinate legislation.”

Referring to the law laid down by the Supreme Court), the bench said it is crystal clear that existence of a right is the foundation of the jurisdiction of a Court to issue a ‘Writ of Mandamus’. “In the case on hand, the petitioners have not been able to show as to which of their right has been violated by the respondents (officials) denying them the pensionary benefits, which can be directed to be enforced by way of issuing a ‘Mandamus’ from this Court,” the court said as per GNS. “In this context, the irrefutable conclusion which can be drawn is that none of the rights of the petitioners stand violated by the respondent Corporation for which a ‘Writ of Mandamus’ can be issued in their favour.”