Precious Kashmir News
Srinagar, Nov 17: Former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah would remain in self-isolation for a week as one of their contacts had stayed with a COVID-19 positive patient.
This was announced by Omar Abdullah, who is vice-president of National Conference (NC), on his official twitter handle.
Omar said he and his father have been in contact with a person who was in turn staying with a relative who tested positive for the virus.
“Based on medical advice, we will be self-isolating for a week before getting a precautionary COVID test,” Omar wrote on twitter.

Srinagar, Nov 17: A COVID patient, who is also suffering from acute shortage of oxygen saturation, was allegedly manhandled by a doctor at Chest Diseases Hospital here, local news agency CNS reported on Tuesday.

Family members of the patient alleged: “The patient went to the bathroom for urination but she found all the urinals overflowing and she tried to enter the next bathroom but the concerned doctor locked the bathroom. Despite the multiple requests by the patient to open the bathroom, the doctor refused and pushed away the patient due to which she fell down. When the male attendant of the patient tried to intervene, the concerned doctor dragged him.”

“After manhandling and humiliating the attendant the accused doctor has asked the concerned police station to file a FIR against the patient otherwise the doctor has threatened that medicos will go on a strike in the hospital,” the family members said.

The family members of the patient said that the concerned doctor has put the patient’s life at risk as she can’t remain without oxygen and questioned how they can refrain the patient from using the hospital facility. “The patient is without an attendant while her husband was summoned by the police and kept in the premises of the police station,” they added.

Meanwhile, the family mentioned that the CCTV footage is witness to the incident.

They demanded strict action against the erring doctor doctor.
Despite repeated attempts, Head of Department (HoD) CD Hospital Dr Naveed could not be contacted.

Agencies
Moscow, Nov 17: President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday called for a joint effort by the BRICS countries on the development of the coronavirus vaccines as he suggested that Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19 could be produced in China and India, which are members of the five-nation bloc.
“We believe it is important to speed up the establishment of the centre for development and research of BRICS vaccines, which we agreed to do two years ago, upon the initiative of our South African friends,” Putin said while addressing the 12th BRICS summit via videoconferencing.
The summit, hosted by President Putin, was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Putin said that Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine that was registered in August could be produced in China and India, both members of the BRICS, Sputniknews reported.
“The Russian Direct Investment Fund has reached agreements with its Brazilian and Indian partners on conducting clinical trials of the Sputnik V vaccine, it has also reached an agreement with pharmaceutical companies in China and India to launch production of the vaccine in these countries not just to cover their needs, but for third countries as well,” Putin said.
On August 11, Russia became the world’s first country to register a coronavirus vaccine, dubbed Sputnik V. The vaccine was developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute, while the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) is investing in the production and promotion of the vaccine abroad. Another Russian vaccine, EpiCoronaVac, produced by Vector Research Centre, was registered in October.
President Putin at the time said that the Sputnik V works “quite effectively” and forms a “stable immunity” against the deadly disease. He had disclosed that one of his daughters had tested a Russian COVID-19 vaccine on herself and that she is feeling well.
Sputnik V vaccine has shown 92 per cent efficacy in preventing COVID-19, according to interim trial results announced by the country’s health ministry last week.
The vaccine has been named Sputnik-V. The name is a reference to the surprise 1957 launch of the world’s first satellite by the Soviet Union.
The 12th BRICS summit was originally scheduled to be held in Saint Petersburg in July but had to be postponed due to the outbreak of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
So far the coronavirus has infected more than 54 million people around the world and killed more than 1.3 million people even as governments implemented strict lockdowns and restrictions to slow the spread of the virus that originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
A second wave of infections is threatening to derail economies and impact lives again as countries have gradually begun to ease restrictions and open up.
The BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) is known as an influential bloc that represents over 3.6 billion people, or half of the world’s population. The BRICS countries have a combined GDP of USD 16.6 trillion.

Want to improve learning outcomeof public schools, bring them at par with private schools: DC Srinagar

Precious Kashmir News

Srinagar, Nov 17: The Srinagar administration has embarked on an ambitious project to transform all government schools with owned buildings in the district on modern lines equipping them with smart facilities and modern infrastructure.

Under the project a total of 180 schools including 120 in urban areas and 60 in rural areas of the district are being upgraded in terms of facilities. These schools will be equipped with modern facilities hrough interventions at infrastructural and operational levels.

The project follows successful completion of the pilot project of modernising 25 selected government schools taken up and completed during the last fiscal.

This was informed in a meeting convened here at Banquet Hall under the chairmanship of the Deputy Commissioner Srinagar Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary.

The meeting with heads of schools to be upgraded as part of this project was informed that an amount of 6 crore rupees has been earmarked for upgrading of 120 schools located in urban areas of the district under special plan.

It was informed that funding has in fact been released in favour of 25 schools located in urban Srinagar. It was informed that another 70 schools – which have already been partly equipped with modern facilities under the GoI’sSamagraShiksha scheme – will receive the required funding in due course.

During the meeting extensive discussions and interactions were held on components and the aim of the smart school project envisaging modernising of public schools to bring them at par with private schools in the district. Headmasters of 25 model schools upgraded last fiscal were also present in the meeting sharing experiences and feedback.

In addition to 120 schools in urban Srinagar at least 60 schools are also being modernised in rural Srinagar. These schools are being upgraded to smart schools under the J&K government’s Back to Village programme.

In each rural block of the district 15 schools have been identified for upgrading and modernising under the ambitious smart schools project. These schools include primary and middle schools and have been selected through the Gram Sabha. It was informed that the project targeted for completion in four to five months will include upgrading of entire infrastructure and and improvement of learning outcomes through a rang of interventions including capacity building of teachers.

The meeting was informed that as part of this ambitious project a host of interventions are being made aimed at enhancing the learning outcomes of public schools in the capital district.

Giving details it was informed that some of interventions being made include refurbishing of buildings where required, upgrading of furniture and equipment, round-the-clock power and water supplies, establishment of libraries, science laboratories, IT labs and smart classes, HR Management and development of teachers, concurrent evaluation and society involvement, additional classrooms where required, separate toilets, sporting infrastructure and games, skills labs, pure drinking water availability, innovation grant for development of models, capacity building and training of teachers.

Speaking on the occasion the DC said that work is being started in around 100 of these schools located in both urban and rural areas of the district adding that the entire project is targeted for completion in six months.

He said the project is the closest to his heart adding that all that will be required to upgrade public schools in the district will be done adding that the district administration is keen on equipping them with the latest facilities and transforming them on modern lines the aim being to improve the learning outcomes in the public school domain.

It was informed that the 25 smart schools established earlier last fiscal will be provided additional facilities to further equip them. Teachers from these schools shared their experience with newly selected schools. A dedicated team has been constituted for planning , implementing and monitoring the project.

Day temperature settles below normal

Srinagar, Nov 17: The weather remained pleasant though the minimum temperature on Tuesday was one degree to five degree below normal in the valley, where dry weather is predicted during the next 24 hours.
Sun was out though the intensity of heat was low due to cold winds in the valley on Tuesday, when people, including students, were seen basking in the parks and other open places in summer capital, Srinagar.
A Met department spokesman said this evening that weather will remain dry in the region, including Srinagar, during the next 24 hours. “However, dry weather to isolated and scattered light rain and snow is predicted during subsequent two days,” he said.
Leh and border town of Kargil in Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh continued to shiver due to below freezing minimum temperature.
The Met spokesman said Kargil on Srinagar-Leh national highway, which remained closed for the past four days due to snowfall, recorded minus 6.6 degree. “At Leh, the night temperature was minus 6.5 degree,” he said.
Majority water bodies remained frozen in the region, where water is being supplied through tankers to residents. However, in some remote and far flung areas people use spring water which remains cold during summer and warm in winter.
The day temperature improved slightly though it settled 5 degree below normal at world famed ski resort of Gulmarg, which had turned white due to intermittent snowfall from Saturday. The night temperature at the ski resort, about 55 km from here in north Kashmir, settled at minus 5 degree, which is 3.5 degree below normal. The upper reaches, including Seven Springs, Khilanmarg and Affarwat, the highest skiing point connected by Cable Car from base camp, was also covered under a thick blanket of snow.
However, the famed ski resort still awaits tourists, skiers and adventure lovers though authorities are making all out efforts to revive the tourist industry badly affected first after August 5 last year, when the Centre abrogated special status of Jammu and Kashmir, and this year due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Sun also played hide and seek in world famous health resort of Pahalgam, about 100 km from here in south Kashmir, though icy cold winds continued. The night temperature at Pahalgam, which received snowfall on Saturday and Sunday, settled at minus 4.3 degree, about 2 degree below normal.
Bright sunshine greeted people in the summer capital, Srinagar though the mercury during the day remained over 3 degree below normal due to ice cold winds. The night temperature in the city settled at 1.8 degree, which is about a degree above normal.
The day temperature at Qazigund, gateway to the valley, Kupwara in North Kashmir and tourist resort of Kokernag settled about 4 degree, 0.5 degree and 2.6 degree below normal, respectively.

Srinagar, Nov 17: The 434-km-long Srinagar-Leh National Highway, connecting Ladakh with Kashmir remained closed for the fourth successive day on Tuesday due to slippery road conditions and accumulation of snow.

Meanwhile, traffic resumed this afternoon on historic 86-km-long Mughal road after remaining suspended for the past three days due to snow.

“Traffic remained suspended for the fourth successive day on Tuesday on the 434-km-long Srinagar-Leh national highway following accumulation of snow at Sonamarg, Zojila pass, Meenmarg and Drass, the second coldest place in the world after Siberia,” a traffic police official told UNI.

He said the Border Roads Organistion (BRO), responsible for the maintenance of the highway, has pressed into service sophisticated machines to clear the snow. However, traffic will resume once snow is cleared from the highway.

Meanwhile, he said, “Today, traffic will ply from Srinagar to Jammu and no vehicle, including security force convoy, would be allowed from opposite direction.”

He said Jammu-bound Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) will have to cross Zig in Qazigund between 0700 hrs to 1200 hrs. “No vehicle will be allowed after cut off timing,” he said, adding Heavy Motor Vehicles (HMVs) will be allowed from Udhampur to Srinagar. The traffic on the 270-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway was resumed on Monday afternoon after remaining closed for morning hours due to snowfall and landslides.

The traffic spokesman said traffic on Mughal Road, which is seen as alternative to Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, was resumed this afternoon after remaining suspended for three days following accumulation of snow. However, vehicles had to ply till 1600 hrs only as the road is becoming slippery due to drop in the temperature in the morning and evening hours.

He said only trucks carrying fresh fruits would be allowed to ply on the road, connecting Shopian in south Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region.