Raja Syed Rather
Ganderbal, Dec 3: Willow work, a well-known art in Kashmir is slowly fading away, as many artisans associated with the industry are switching to other jobs to earn their livelihood.
Willow, species of tree also known as Shallows, are found in a Shalbug village of central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district. Shalabug, which won the title of Model Village back in 2002, nearly 6000 people depend on willow, work to earn a living.
Willow work is totally based on handwork, only hands are used to make beautiful and worthy products. The willow production has an attractive face value which makes it a precious not only here in local markets but also exported to foreign countries.
Willow is mainly used to make baskets, kangri and ornaments which are usually presented as gifts on weddings, anniversaries and other occasions. It also highlights Kashmiri culture.
Mushtaq Ahmed, a willow dealer said that they used to make hundred sets and export it, due to lockdown and Covid pandemic, the business has taken a massive hit.
Mushtaq said that being the oldest craft, it is unfortunate that the Government hasn’t yet provided any scheme or help to the artisans associated with it.
Ghulam Muhammad, an artisan, said that Covid-19 has negatively impacted their work as they aren’t able to export their products to the other states of India.
“Due to negligence on the government’s part, the profession is dying. Our new generation is not keen to carry forward this craft. Government should intervene to save this craft,” he said.
Due to industrialization, burgeoning growth in substitute products, rapid changes in consumer tastes, a paucity of attention, the handicraft like willow work in the state has lost its place in the market—(KNO)
Willow work fading, artisans seek Govt’s intervention
Govt increases domestic flights’ cap from 70 % to 80 % of pre-COVID levels
New Delhi, Dec 3: The cap on the number of domestic flights that Indian airlines are permitted to operate was increased from 70 per cent to 80 per cent of their pre-COVID levels on Thursday, said Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.
The minister had said on November 11 that the Indian airlines can operate up to 70 per cent of their pre-COVID domestic passenger flights due to the prevailing demand amid the coronavirus situation.
Puri tweeted on Thursday, “Domestic operations recommenced with 30K passengers on 25 May & have now touched a high of 2.52 lakhs on 30 Nov 2020.”
“Ministry of Civil Aviation is now allowing domestic carriers to increase their operations from existing 70% to 80% of pre-COVID approved capacity,” he stated.
The ministry had resumed scheduled domestic passenger services from May 25, after a gap of two months due to the coronavirus lockdown.
However, the airlines were allowed to operate not more than 33 per cent of their pre-COVID domestic flights.
On June 26, this was increased to 45 per cent and on September 2, it was further increased to 60 per cent. On November 11, it was increased to 70 per cent.
USG machine lying defunct in DH Bandipora, patients suffer
Sajid Raina
Bandipora, Dec 3 : Even after six months when the issue was brought into the notice of administration, the Ultrasonography (USG) machine is lying defunct at the district hospital in north Kashmir’s Bandipora, causing a lot of inconvenience to the patients.
Many patients told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that the lone USG machine is lying dysfunctional for more than six months, raising many questions on the overall medical-care facilities in the district.
“With no other facility available, patients, especially pregnant women are facing a lot of hardships, due to which they are forced to go to Srinagar, Sopore or other places,” they said.
Patients said that the majority of the patients visiting the hospital for treatment come from poor financial backgrounds who cannot afford to pay hefty charges to private laboratories.
“As the USG machine has been lying defunct, they have been running from pillar to post to get their tests done,” Suriya, a local resident said.
Suriya said that she visited the healthcare many times for USG test but was continuously returned without the test.
“It speaks the volume of the callous attitude of the concerned authorities of providing better healthcare facilities,” she said.
Locals said that they have brought the issue into the notice of the higher authorities several times but nothing on ground has been done so far, “thereby making poor patients suffer a lot”.
Meanwhile, the locals appealed Deputy Commissioner Bandipora to look into the matter so that people can breathe a sigh of relief.
Despite several repeated calls and text messages, the hospital officials did not respond to clarify their stand on the matter—(KNO)
High alert sounded in Rajouri after suspected material, grenade recovery
Precious Kashmir News
Rajouri, Dec 3: A security high alert has been sounded in Rajouri after recovery of a hand grenade and another suspected material on a road stretch leading to Deputy Commissioner Rajouri on Thursday.
Officials said on Thursday morning, a hand grenade was recovered behind DC office on main road which was recovered from the spot.
“Now, a suspected material having a radio set has been recovered from the DC office road which has been closed for traffic,” the officials said.
They said that senior police officers rushed to the spot and DC office road was closed for some time. “The suspected material has been destroyed and area is still under cordon with searches are going on and area sanitization is going on,” the officials said—(KNO)
Kumar visits Mubarak Mandi complex, inspects restoration works
Precious Kashmir News
Jammu, Dec 3: Principal Secretary to Lieutenant Governor, Nitishwar Kumar Thursday visited the Mubarak Mandi Complex and inspected the ongoing restoration and renovation work of the heritage site.
Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Sanjeev Verma; Executive Director Mubarak Mandi Heritage Society, Deepika Sharma; consultants; members of the executing agencies and other senior officers accompanied the Principal Secretary during the visit.
The Principal Secretary visited different sections and segments of the Mubarak Mandi Complex to have on ground appraisal of the ongoing work and passed necessary directions for expediting the restoration and renovation works of the heritage complex.
The Principal Secretary sought a detailed briefing on progress of the restoration works inside the complex and structures that needs to be preserved, besides several other important issues pertaining to restoration of Dogra Art Museum, preservation of historical records, restoration and conservation of various components.
During his visit to the Museum, the Principal Secretary laid special emphasis on the protection of local manuscripts. He directed the concerned officers to take necessary measures to safeguard the buildings and documents that required immediate protection.
He asked the officers of the concerned departments to work in synergy with the consultants and experts for the proper execution of the restoration work of the heritage complex.
He also directed the concerned officers to explore the possibilities of putting up some projects on PPP mode and to take all requisite measures to remove bottlenecks so that the Mubarak Mandi Heritage site could be resorted at the earliest.
Reiterating the government’s commitment towards conservation and protection of the rich culture and heritage of J&K, the Principal Secretary said that special focus is being laid on protection and restoration of places with heritage significance like Mubarak Mandi complex.
He directed the officers for executing all works and engaging conservation experts as per norms and further asked the executing agencies to prepare a detailed draft of the future course of action for the restoration work of the heritage complex.
SDA carries out demolition drive in Srinagar
Precious Kashmir News
Srinagar, Dec 3: The Enforcement Wing of Srinagar Development Authority (SDA) Thursday carried out a demolition drive at Nowgam, Shalteng, Northern Bus Stand Parimpora and Batamaloo areas to retrieve illegally occupied SDA land.
The drive was conducted to retrieve encroachments by some unscrupulous elements that had carried out construction in ‘no construction zone’ at Nowgam, grabbed the SDA land illegally by way of fencing at Shalteng and dumping of Scrap at Batamaloo besides encroachment of SDA land by street vendors, cart vendors who were operating their business illegally along and inside Northern Bus Stand Parimpora.
The demolition drive was successfully executed and the original position was restored.
Meanwhile, the SDA authorities have warned people residing within SDA jurisdiction to desist from undertaking illegal constructions or encroachments.
Quality Mutton Disappears
Exactly a month ago, the administration fixed the retail price of mutton at Rs 480 per kilogram. While the price is Rs 40higher than the previously fixed rate in 2016, it’s about Rs 120 less than what the dealers were selling the highly sought after commodity in Kashmir with a consumption of around 1,000 lakh kg/year. The mutton dealers were selling it around Rs 500 but with the advent of covid-19 and shutdown forced by it, the prices shoot up and the dealers would sell it at Rs 550 and then at Rs600. A forum claiming to be representing the dealers has claimed that Rs 600/kg is rational given the rates outside the J&K. At the same time, the administration has stuck to the rates and considers the dealers as violators. The government has warned them against overcharging. The consumers are certainly caught in the tussle of sorts and most people have no way to enforce what has been fixed even as they want mutton prices far lesser than what they are made to pay. There is no doubt that people would in all situations want the prices to come down given the fact that the lesser the prices better the deal. The government while fixing the price stated that representatives of the dealers were consulted. Besides the technical team of the Sheep Husbandry department presented a “realistic scenario” of the production cost of the mutton industry as regards how much the retail rate should be even after ensuring the dealers get their due profit. After taking all these aspects into consideration, the new retail rate of mutton was fixed, the government maintains. With a month into new rates fixed by the administration, the commodity has become rare and some unscrupulous dealers are selling it at Rs 600 and that too with offal. Some dealers are selling the mutton at the officially fixed price but it is alleged to be of substandard quality and that too mainly ewes with a substantial weight of offal. Apart from ensuring the selling of mutton at the price fixed, the government should also ensure the quality of the commodity. Issues should be resolved amicably and if there is room to revisit the matter, the government should do it without haste. Otherwise, tough action should be taken against violators to ensure compliance to the rates fixed as well as the quality of the commodity.
Light at the end of tunnel:Preparations commence in J&K to receive COVID-19 vaccine
Afaq Bhat
Srinagar, Dec 2: Hectic preparations have commenced in Jammu and Kashmir to roll out the COVID-19 vaccine. It appears that wait is about to get over and people are all set to get a shield at last.
On Tuesday Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba, while chairing a high-level meeting, asked all the States and Union Territories to prepare and maintain a database of the prioritized group of people to receive the COVID-19 vaccine during the initial stages.
The Cabinet Secretary informed that at present, 3 companies are frontrunners in developing COVID-19 vaccines in India- which are currently in the third phase of clinical trials and will be shortly available for usage.
“After so many months we are hearing a good news. The vaccine will bring the much needed respite and will lead to life returning to normal,” said Farooq Ahmed of Srinagar.
According to the officials in India, vaccines are being administered against 12 preventable diseases under the prestigious ‘Universal Immunization Programme’ (UIP), which is one of the largest immunization programmes in the world. Therefore, with a strong network of 28,947 chain points for storage and distribution of vaccines, COVID-19 vaccine distribution too will be carried out in a hassle-free and time-bound manner.
It’s in place to mention here that Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam also chaired the maiden meeting of the UT Steering Committee in Jammu on Tuesday to monitor the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccination in J&K.
The Chief Secretary, according to the officials, impressed upon greater coordination between the frontline workers of various departments including health, social welfare, school education, rural development, and housing and urban development.
An official said that the government has dropped enough hints about COVID vaccines being ready. “Now, it’s just a matter of time before the distribution starts. The vaccines have to reach everyone and lot of people will be needed to do this job. Volunteers and NGOs have to be involved to ensure that people get vaccinated,” the official added.
An expert said, “Distribution of vaccines could prove to be a difficult task if it’s done haphazardly. A proper planning needs to be done to ensure that no one remains deprived of the COVID cure.”
He said, “There are certain apprehensions and confusions about the efficacy of the vaccines but these will get cleared soon after these doses are rolled out and people start getting injected. We don’t have many choices and will have to rely on the COVID-19 vaccine that has been approved.”
UK approves Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine
Mass vaccinations to start next week
New Delhi, Dec 2: The United Kingdom on Wednesday became the first country to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine against Covid-19, paving the way for mass vaccinations against the deadly novel coronavirus from as early as next week.
The British regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), says the jab, which claims to offer up to 95 per cent protection against Covid-19 illness, is safe for rollout.
The UK government said the approval follows a “rigorous” analysis of the data, conducted at a faster pace but without any compromise on standards.
“I am thrilled. Help is on its way…we can see the dawn. Let’s redouble our efforts to follow the lockdown rules,” said UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock.
“It’s been a very tough 2020 but 2021 will be brighter,” he said.
The government has formally accepted the recommendation from the MHRA, which means the two-dose vaccine can be injected into arms of high-risk categories within days. Around 10 million doses should be available soon, with the first 800,000 arriving in the UK in the coming days.
“The vaccine will be made available across the UK from next week. The NHS (National Health Service) has decades of experience in delivering large scale vaccination programmes and will begin putting their extensive preparations into action to provide care and support to all those eligible for vaccination,” said a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).
“This follows months of rigorous clinical trials and a thorough analysis of the data by experts at the MHRA who have concluded that the vaccine has met its strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness,” the spokesperson said.
The UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations (JCVI) will now publish its final advice for the priority groups to receive the vaccine, including care home residents, health and care staff, the elderly and the clinically extremely vulnerable.
NHS Chief Executive, Sir Simon Stevens, said the health service was preparing for “the largest-scale vaccination campaign in our country’s history”.
Around 50 hospitals are on standby and vaccination centres in venues such as conference centres are being set up now, with military personnel being deployed to assist with the logistics.
The joint vaccine, produced by American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and German biotech firm BioNTech, had recently claimed trials suggested it works well in people of all ages, races and ethnicities.
The UK government had asked the MHRA to look into the data to clear it for use if it meets “robust” standards of quality, safety and effectiveness.
The UK is expected to receive a total of 40 million doses by the end of 2021, enough to vaccinate up to a third of the population, with the majority of doses anticipated in the first half of next year.
The Pfizer/BionTech formula is an mRNA vaccine that uses a tiny fragment of genetic code from the pandemic virus to teach the body how to fight Covid-19 and build immunity. An mRNA vaccine has never been approved for use in humans before, with people only receiving them in clinical trials so far.
The UK government had stressed that the Covid-19 vaccine will only be authorised for supply by the UK’s independent regulator if it meets strict standards of quality, safety, and effectiveness, and if they are satisfied the vaccine can be consistently manufactured. Experts reiterated that the MHRA approval means the vaccine is safe for human use.
The MHRA is the UK’s independent regulator, hailed as a globally recognised institution for requiring the highest standards for quality, safety and effectiveness.
The vaccine is being manufactured in BioNTech’s German sites, as well as Pfizer’s manufacturing site in Belgium.
The vaccine must be stored at around -70C and will be transported in special boxes, packed in dry ice. Once delivered, it can be kept for up to five days in a fridge.
The UK government has said it remains confident that the cold supply chain needed to distribute the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine will not cause any problems or delays. When the vaccine is stored in a fridge, it has an effective life of up to five days at temperatures of 2 to 8 degrees, which will allow it to be easily stored at distribution centres.
Pfizer and BioNTech had reported final trial results on November 18 that showed its vaccine was 95 per cent effective in preventing Covid-19, with no major safety concerns.
It is the fastest ever vaccine to go from concept to reality, taking only 10 months to follow the same developmental steps that normally span a decade, the BBC reported.
Prof Danny Altman, Professor of Immunology at Imperial College London, said news of the approval was “momentous”.
“We have the first emergency approval for use of a really effective vaccine. Truly heroic.”
The news of its approval comes as the UK entered a three-tier lockdown on Wednesday after lawmakers cleared the proposals in the House of Commons on Tuesday evening. It means most of England will remain under high or very high alert levels to curb coronavirus infection rates, with strict restrictions on mixing of households and gatherings.
The deadly virus has infected more than 1,647,000 people and claimed over 59,000 lives across the UK amid waves of lockdowns to control its spread since March.
Globally more than 63,894,000 people have been affected by the virus and over 1,480,000 deaths have been reported.
India clocks fresh spike of 36,604 cases
New Delhi, Dec 2: India on Wednesday clocked a fresh spike of 36,604 nCoV cases recorded in the past 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry update said.
The overall COVID case tally of the country has almost touched 95 lakhs, with the figure now at 94,99,414, the government data said.
There were 501 more deaths due to pandemic in the past 24 hours across the nation pushing the fatality count till date to 1,38,122.
Taking of the active caseload of Coronavirus , there was a dip of 5,969 since Tuesday and presently , the nation is home to 4,28,644 active cases, as per the data.
Meanwhile, there were 43,062 COVID patients who were cured in the past one day , taking the total recoveries count till date to 89,32,647.
In percentage , active cases are now 4.51 per cent , discharged / cured at 94.03 per cent and the deaths due to COVID are 1.45 per cent of the total case count till date.
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research , 14,24,45,949 cumulative samples have been tested till date for COVID 19.
