Precious Kashmir News
Srinagar, Nov 4: The Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir along with Vice Chairman Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (LAWDA) today took an extensive tour of Dal and Nigeen Lake.
On the occasion, the Divisional Commissioner took stock of manual and mechanical deweeding, Lily extraction in various sections.
He was informed that about 54600 labours have been engaged for manual deweeding till date and 152425 cum of weed besides 92444 cum of lily has been extracted during the current year.
The Div Com also inspected various types of Lake cleaning machines viz, operation of water master, weed harvesters and the dredger.
During the interaction and discussion with the Engineering team he was apprised about settling the basin at Telbal nallah and its purpose of arresting silt.
The Div Com also observed Lily extraction mechanically being done by newly procured high capacity deweeding machines obtained from DMRC, New Delhi.

He also inspected ongoing works of Doledemb and it was informed that about 28000 sq.meters of area has been cleared in a short span of two months and about 70 to 90 dumper loads of extracted lily have been removed on a daily basis.

Precious Kashmir News
Srinagar, Nov 4: After months of slump in businesses world over due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the business in J&K has started showing improvement from the previous month, an official spokesman said on Wednesday.
He said that this has been made possible by the slew of measures taken by the Government along with the economic relief package announced in the month of September, 2020.
These steps helped in boosting the business and the other ailing sectors that had suffered due to adverse impact of COVID-19 and had a positive impact on the growth of businesses in the Union Territory.
The growth in the business activities can be judged from the revenue growth in the month of September and October in collections of Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Motor Spirit and Diesel Oil Tax (MST).
The State Taxes Department has collected Rs 564 crores in state GST (SGST Cash plus Credit) during this month.
With the resumption of the business activities the GST collections are showing a positive trend, the total SGST collections stood at Rs. 359.84 cr, and Rs.435.39 cr for the month of August and September respectively.
The continuous increase in GST collections is clearly indicating a growth in the business activities and the taxable transactions.
Similarly, the revenue collections under MST stood at Rs.141.00 cr for the month of October and it is expected to grow at Rs.150cr for the month of November.
So far as total GST cash (CGST, SGST and IGST) growth percentage under GST is concerned, the Union Territory of J&K stood at 2nd, 3rd and 8th in all India Ranking for the month of August, September and October, 2020.

New Delhi, Nov 4: The Government on Wednesday said signs are now becoming clear that the country’s economy is getting back on track faster than expected and that India will rebuild the world’s fastest-growing economy by defeating the Covid-19 pandemic.
Talking to reporters here, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said many such signals had emerged in the past which show that the country’s economy is returning back on track at a faster pace than expected.
He said the GDP for the first half of the year is 1.05 lakh crore rupees, more than the GDP during the same period last year.
There had been a 12 per cent increase in the demand of electricity in the country. ”This has happened when due to good rains in the country this year, the farmers have less need for electricity. Similarly, power consumption has come down in the railways due to the closure of passenger trains in the country due to Covid,” he said.
This meant that normal production had been completely restored in the manufacturing sector of the country and has also increased in many areas, he added.
Exports and investment, profits and turnover of companies had also increased, he said.

Jeedah, Nov 4: Saudi Arabia on Wednesday announced reforms that will abolish some key restrictions tying millions of low-paid and vulnerable migrant workers to their employers in conditions that have been rife with abuse and exploitation.

The Ministry of Human Resource and Social Development said the reforms will allow foreign workers the right to change jobs by transferring their sponsorship from one employer to another, leave and re-enter the country and secure final exit visas without the consent of their employer, which had long been required.

Deputy Minister Abdullah bin Nasser Abuthnain said the new Labor Relation Initiative is slated to come into effect in March 2021, affecting potentially around a third of Saudi Arabia’s total population, or approximately 10 million foreign workers in the kingdom.

Human Rights Watch researcher Rothna Begum said the information provided thus far shows Saudi authorities are removing some elements of the kafala” sponsorship system in place across multiple Gulf Arab states that ties foreign workers’ legal status to their employer.

Qatar, which is preparing to host the next FIFA World Cup in 2022, has recently introduced similar changes to its labor laws.

Begum described the three changes to the Saudi law as significant steps that could improve migrant workers’ conditions, but cautioned it does not appear to be a full abolition of the kafala system.

Migrant workers still need an employer to sponsor them to come to the country and employers may still have control over their residency status, said Begum, whose work focuses on migrant rights, domestic workers and womens rights in the Middle East.

Under Saudi Arabia’s restrictive kafala system, workers had little power to escape abuse because their employers controlled their exit from the country and their ability to change jobs. Begum recently wrote about how many employers exploited this control by taking workers passports, forcing them to work excessive hours and denying them wages. This has led to hundreds of thousands of workers fleeing their employers and becoming undocumented.

The reforms are part of a broader plan known as Vision 2030 spearheaded by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to make the kingdom more attractive to foreign investors, expand the private sector and diversify the kingdom’s oil-dependent economy.

Ali Mohamed, a researcher at Migrant Rights, said the kafala system will persist as long as both work and residence visas are tied to an individual, known as a kafeel or sponsor.

He also noted that widely-criticized conditions for migrants in Saudi detention centers exist regardless of the kafala system, although any move towards de-linking migrant workers from the control of a single sponsor will certainly benefit migrant workers and is to be welcomed.

May Romanos, a researcher on migrant rights in the Gulf with Amnesty International, said the devil is usually in the details and that until Saudi Arabia publishes the new reforms and fully enforces them it is very difficult to assess the impact these promises will have on the rights of migrant workers in the country.

It remains to be seen whether these latest changes to the labor law will apply to all migrant workers, including domestic workers like maids and nannies, Begum said.

Additionally, the information released does not specify whether employers can report workers for absconding. Begum said if an employer reports a worker for absconding or is able to cancel a worker’s visa before that person can request a transfer of employment, they can become undocumented in the country and then liable to arrest and deportation.

This is why a full abolition (of kafala) is necessary. Partial reforms like removing the need for employer consent to change employers and leave the country are significant, but workers can become trapped in other ways when such elements remain, Begum said.

Baramulla, Nov 4: A Power Development Department employee was injured after a bullet hit his hand accidently in North Kashmir’s Pattan area of Baramulla district.
Sources said that soldiers were doing practice at Wanigam Pattan when a bullet accidently hit the hand of a man while he was repairing a transmission line behind the headquarters of Army 10 Sector.
The man who is a PDD employee was shifted to Sub District Hospital Kreeri where he was discharged after treatment. “He is stable and discharged from the hospital,” said the doctor.
When contacted a police official said that they are ascertaining the facts while an army officer confirmed that the incident occurred in Wanigam area of Pattan. (KNT)

Srinagar, Nov 4: Chief Engineer of Power Department Aijaz Ahmed Dar Wednesday said that curtailment in the distribution of electricity will go up if people won’t cooperate and avoid misusing electricity.
In a chat with Kashmir News Trust, the PDD Chief Engineer said a new curtailment schedule will be published in coming days. “The curtailment duration will be minimum and it will come down again if people will cooperate and use electricity judiciously,” he said.
Dar said that there is at least 2-hours power curtailment in metered areas and over 3-hour load shedding in non-metered areas of Srinagar district.

“Last year our consumption was 1225 MWs in October but this has gone up and right now we are consuming 1475 MWs. We have constituted different inspection teams and even night inspection teams are present on ground. We will get over power woes only if we understand our role and use the electricity judiciously,” he said.
In response to a question, Dar said there is a need for power curtailment schedule in view of the increase in demand. “We did not curtail power this year till October and still curtailment schedule has not been published. The load however, has increased now and we are framing power curtailment schedule which will be issued in coming days,” Chief Engineer said adding that there will be improvement in power supply and the hours of curtailment can come down if people cooperate with the Department.”

“We have to optimize things from available resources and people ought to understand this. We have seen that power thefts and use of heaters and boilers by the consumers cause the overloading. People should use electricity judiciously,” he appealed to people.  (KNT)

Mumbai, Nov 4: Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami was arrested by Raigad police on Wednesday (November 4) morning.
Arnab was arrested in connection with an old abetment to suicide case. He has been arrested for allegedly abetting suicide of a 53-year-old interior designer. A police official said that an architect and his mother committed suicide in 2018 over alleged non-payment of dues by Republic TV.
Talking to Zee Media, CIU Inspector Sachin Vaje said that Arnab has been arrested under Section 306 and Section 34 of IPC.
Arnab Goswami claimed that police physically assaulted him while trying to arrest him. Republic TV reported around 10 policemen entered Arnab’s house and “pushed and heckled Arnab demanding he come out”.
It is to be noted that few days ago Mumbai police had registered a case in the TRP scam and summoned senior employees of Republic TV for investigation. The owners of channels Fakt Marathi and Box Cinema have already been arrested in the case.
Arnab Goswami and the Mumbai Police have been at loggerheads over several issues including the Palghar mob lynching of three monks and Sushant Singh Rajput suicide case.
Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh on Tuesday claimed that Arnab was a “hawala operator”.

Arnab’s arrest extremely distressing: Editors Guild

New Delhi, Nov 4: Reacting to the arrest of Republic Television editor Arnab Goswami, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday condemned the treatment meted out to the journalist by Maharashtra police and likened it to the emergency days.
Taking to twitter, he said, ‘Congress and its allies have shamed democracy once again.
‘Blatant misuse of state power against Republic TV & Arnab Goswami is an attack on individual freedom and the 4th pillar of democracy.
It reminds us of the Emergency. This attack on free press must be and WILL BE OPPOSED.’
Goswami was detained by Mumbai Police on Wednesday morning, It is learnt that Arnab has been detained in connection with an old abetment to suicide case.
Arnab’s arrest extremely distressing: Editors Guild
Meanwhile, the Editors Guild of India on Wednesday condemned the arrest of Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami terming it an extremely distressing move.
“We condemn the sudden arrest and find it extremely distressing”, The Guild said in a statement.
The Guild called upon Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to ensure that he is treated fairly and state power is not used against critical reporting by the media.
The Republic TV claimed that at the time of their Editor-in-Chief’s arrest, 8 police vehicles and at least 40-50 Police personnel were in the building premises out of which many were armed.

Republic TV moves NHRC
Mumbai, Nov 4: Anew FIR was filed against Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami and two others on Wednesday evening for allegedly obstructing arrest and assaulting a woman police officer.
The case was registered against Arnab Goswami and others under Section 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code at Mumbai’s NM Joshi Marg police station.
A woman police official, who was part of the team which arrested Arnab Goswami from his Lower Parel residence in Mumbai, filed the complaint.
Meanwhile, Republic TV has moved the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) as well as the Maharashtra Human Rights Commission against the Mumbai and Raigad police for “unjustly and illegally manhandling, assaulting and arresting Arnab Goswami”.

Washington, Nov 4: President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden are battling it out for the White House, with polls closed across the United States — and the American people waiting for results in key battlegrounds still up for grabs.
There are seven states still left uncalled, including major prizes such as Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — meaning both Trump and Biden still have a path to victory.
US media outlets have projected wins for the Republican incumbent in 23 states including big prizes Florida and Texas, as well as Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri and Ohio — all states he won in 2016.
Biden has captured 20 states including his home state Delaware and big prizes California and New York, as well as the US capital. The former vice president has flipped one state won by Trump in 2016 — Arizona, in the southwest.
Nebraska split its electoral votes between the two — four for Trump and one for Biden. Maine was won by Biden, but so far, he has only three of the four electoral votes on offer, with the last still to be decided. So far, that gives Biden 238 electoral votes and Trump 213.
The magic number of electoral votes is 270.
The election was plunged into chaos early Wednesday as Donald Trump prematurely declared victory and sought Supreme Court intervention to stop vote-counting — even as Joe Biden voiced confidence in his own chances.
In a divisive election cast under the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic that has claimed more than 230,000 lives in the United States, Trump appeared to have avoided a Democratic wave predicted by some polls but he still needs key states to secure another four-year term.

Shattering norms in the world’s most powerful democracy, Trump alleged “major fraud” as he held an upbeat rally inside the White House’s ceremonial East Room.
“We did win this election,” Trump told cheering supporters, few of them wearing masks to protect from Covid-19. “This is a fraud on the American public.”
The Republican tycoon said he would go to the Supreme Court because “we want all voting to stop.”
Voting had already ended by the time Trump took the podium after 2 am (0700 GMT) but Trump appeared to be calling for the court to stop counting.
Trump has railed for months against mail-in ballots, charging without evidence that they could be fraudulent, as some 100 million Americans voted ahead of Election Day amid the health crisis.
The Biden campaign soon hit back, calling the president’s bid to stop vote counting “outrageous” and “unprecedented,” and saying its legal teams were ready to fight him in the courts if need be.
“The counting will not stop. It will continue until every duly cast vote is counted,” it vowed.
Biden had earlier warned that vote counting would take a while as he greeted his own backers, who honked from cars at a socially distanced rally in his home state of Delaware.
“We believe we’re on track to win this election,” the 77-year-old former vice president said. “Keep the faith, guys, we’re going to win this.”
Biden’s remarks clearly unnerved Trump who immediately tweeted his claims of victory and fraud, leading Twitter to flag his comments as part of its effort against election disinformation.
Governor Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania, which is proving to be the vital prize, said that one million mailed-in ballots remained to be counted and promised that all counties would work “tirelessly” to complete them.
“Let’s be clear,” the Democrat said of Trump’s comments. “This is a partisan attack on Pennsylvania’s election, our votes and democracy.”
Trump for the past four years has often been quick to say he is treated unfairly but even a few of his allies voiced unease at his dramatic intervention.
“Stop. Full stop. The votes will be counted and you will either win or lose. And America will accept that. Patience is a virtue,” tweeted Adam Kinzinger, a Republican congressman who won reelection.