Recovery rate crosses 75% mark

New Delhi, Aug 24: The COVID-19 recovery rate in India reached 75.27 per cent on Monday, but the country still recorded 61,408 fresh COVID-19 cases and 836 more deaths, as per the Union Health Ministry data.

The total number of recoveries now stand at 23,38,035 while active cases 7,10,771. The case tally has surged to 31,06,348 while the death toll climbed to 57,542.

According to Indian Council of Medical Research, in the past 24 hours, 6,09,917 tests were conducted.

The case tally zoomed to 6,82,383 in the worst-affected state of Maharashtra, while Tamil Nadu registered 3,79,385 cases and the figure stood at 3,53,111 in Andhra Pradesh.

The death toll rose to 22,570 in Maharashtra, 6,517 in Tamil Nadu and 3,282 in Andhra Pradesh.

The World Health Organisation has said that using plasma from the recovered to treat COVID-19 was still considered “an experimental therapy” as the preliminary results were still “inconclusive”.

Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Gulbarga in Karnataka Umesh Jadhav became the latest legislative to fell prey of coronavirus. Twelve members of his family have also tested positive for the virus.

In a respite to travellers, Karnataka government issued a new direction in which interstate travellers do not have to undergo the 14-day home quarantine that was earlier mandatory.

As threat of coronavirus still looms large, the Supreme Court asked the Medical Council of India (MCI) to consider providing an online option for taking the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance (NEET) from next year.

The All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) allowed institutions offering MBA and PGDM courses to admit students based on marks obtained in qualifying undergraduate exams.

Meanwhile, the government said it will released funds for construction of two 500-beded makeshift hospitals in Bihar.

Globally, the United States remains the worst-infected, with more than 58 lakh cases, followed by Brazil, recording over 36 lakh infections. The US also registered the highest 1.80 lakh fatalities, while 1.14 lakh were recorded in Brazil.

In India, at the third spot in terms of infections and fourth in fatalities, registered the first case and death on January 31 and March 13, respectively.

Washington, Aug 23: The US health watchdog has given emergency authorisation for the use of blood plasma to treat coronavirus patients in the country, saying the benefits of the treatment outweighed any potential risks.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Sunday that over 70,000 patients in the country had been treated with convalescent plasma, which is made using the blood of people who have recovered from coronavirus infections.
President Donald Trump welcomed the move by the FDA on the eve of the four-day Republican National Convention which will renominate him to be the party’s candidate in the November 3 presidential election. “Today I am pleased to make a truly historic announcement in our battle against the China virus that will save countless lives,” Trump said at a White House briefing, referring to the coronavirus that causes Covid-19.
“Today’s action will dramatically increase access to this treatment,” he said, a day after he accused the FDA of impeding the rollout of vaccines and therapeutics for political reasons.
In a tweet on Saturday, Trump said “the deep state, or whoever, at the FDA is making it very difficult for drug companies to get people in order to test the vaccines and therapeutics.
“Obviously, the are hoping to delay the answer until after [the US presidential election],” he said.
The FDA said in a news release said it has issued an emergency use authorisation (EUA) for investigational convalescent plasma for the treatment of COVID-19 in hospitalised patients as part of the agency’s ongoing efforts to fight COVID-19.
Based on scientific evidence available, the FDA concluded, that this product may be effective in treating COVID-19 and that the “known and potential benefits of the product outweigh the known and potential risks of the product.”

More than 176,000 people have died from coronavirus since the start of the outbreak in the US, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Nearly 5.7 million cases have also been confirmed nationwide, making America the worst-hit country in the world after the disease emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan last year.
“The FDA’s emergency authorisation for convalescent plasma is a milestone achievement in President Trump’s efforts to save lives from COVID-19,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar.
“Our work on convalescent plasma has delivered broader access to the product than is available in any other country and reached more than 70,000 American patients so far. We are deeply grateful to Americans who have already donated and encourage individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 to consider donating convalescent plasma,” Azar said.
“The data we gathered suggests that patients who were treated early in their disease course, within three days of being diagnosed, with plasma containing high levels of antibodies, benefited the most from treatment. We saw about a 35 per cent better survival in the patients who benefited most from the treatment,” Azar told reporters at the White House briefing.
“We dream in drug development of something like a 35% mortality reduction. This is a major advance in the treatment of patients. A major advance,” he was quoted as saying by CNN. But several experts, including Anthony Fauci, a member of the White House’s coronavirus task force, have expressed reservations about the robustness of blood plasma studies so far.
“The problem is, we don’t really have enough data to really understand how effective convalescent plasma is,” Dr Jonathan Reiner, a professor of medicine at George Washington University and a CNN medical analyst, said on Sunday.
“While the data to date show some positive signals that convalescent plasma can be helpful in treating individuals with COVID-19, especially if given early in the trajectory of disease, we lack the randomised controlled trial data we need to better understand its utility in COVID-19 treatment,” Dr Thomas File, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, said in a statement.
The FDA news release said that based on an evaluation of the emergency use authorisation (EUA) criteria and the totality of the available scientific evidence, the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research determined that the statutory criteria for issuing an EUA criteria were met.
The agency said it determined that it is reasonable to believe that COVID-19 convalescent plasma may be effective in lessening the severity or shortening the length of COVID-19 illness in some hospitalised patients.

“The agency also determined that the known and potential benefits of the product, when used to treat COVID-19, outweigh the known and potential risks of the product and that that there are no adequate, approved, and available alternative treatments,” the FDA news release said.

Precious Kashmir News
Srinagar, Aug 24: The health experts have maintained that though the COVID-19 apparently may appear more lethal among men as compared to women, it has caused deaths at the same rate among men and women in Kashmir.
This was said by Dr Rouf Hussain Rather, In-charge Data Analysis section at Divisional Covid-19 Control Room Kashmir.
He said that 563 Covid deaths have been recorded in Kashmir; among these include 368 men out of a total of 16796 male positive cases and 195 women out of a total of 8191 female positive cases.
The crude mortality rate is 2.1 per cent among men and 2.3 per cent among women, which after statistical analysis appears similar. The apparent 0.2 per cent more mortality among females has been found statistically insignificant.
Health Experts observed that the more positive cases and subsequently more deaths among men is due to their frequent movement for work and other activities.
Dr Hussain stressed upon face mask use, cough and sneezing etiquettes, social distancing, not touching the face and nose with unclean hands and frequent hand washing.
Speaking on the occasion, Srikant Balasahib Suse incharge of Divisional Covid-19 Control Room advised the people to follow preventive measures to contain the spread of Covid-19 infection in Kashmir.

New Delhi, Aug 24: The meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Monday to deliberate on leadership change in the party ended with a majority of the senior party leaders attending the meeting urging Sonia Gandhi to continue as party chief, sources said.
After a marathon meeting of the CWC, the highest decision making body of the party, it was resolved that Gandhi should continue as Congress chief till the process of selection of a new party chief is completed.
The meeting of the CWC witnessed stormy proceedings with Sonia Gandhi offering to resign as party chief and requesting CWC to begin deliberations to replace her even as senior party leaders Manmohan Singh and A K Antony urging her to continue.
The sources said that in a letter read out at the start of the CWC meeting by AICC General secretary K C Venugopal, Sonia Gandhi asked the party to relieve as Congress president.
The letter, written in response to a letter written by several top leaders calling for overhaul of the party organization, requested CWC to start the process to replace her as interim president.
Former Prime Minister and senior Congress leader Manmohan Singh and senior leader and former Defence Minister AK Antony , however, requested Gandhi to continue in her current role.
Dr Manmohan Singh urged Sonia Gandhi to continue as Congress interim president for the entire session.
Senior leader A K Antony said that if Sonia Gandhi is unwilling to continue as Congress interim chief, Rahul Gandhi should take over.
Speaking at the meeting, former party president Rahul Gandhi questioned timing of letter written by senior party leaders to her, sources said.
Sources said that Rahul Gandhi asked why the letter was sent at a time when the party was fighting in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and when Sonia Gandhi was ill.
He said that the right place to discuss what was written in the letter was CWC meeting and not the media.
The sources said that Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh also said he was “hurt” by the letter seeking changes in CWC.
Ghulam Nabi Azad, among the signatories to the letter, explained the reasons for the letter.
At the same time, he praised the leadership of Sonia Gandhi.
In a tweet responding to Rahul’s criticism, an angry Congress leader Kapil Sibal, one of the signatories of the letter, defended his position.
Sources said that in their letter to Gandhi, senior leaders of the Congress, including former Chief Ministers, many Congress Working Committee members, sitting MPs, and several former Union Ministers, had called for sweeping changes, from top to bottom.
In the letter, the party leaders expressed concern on the erosion of the support base of the party.
Sources said that the letter, the signatories to which include Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, former Union Ministers Anand Sharma, Kapil Sibal, Manish Tewari, Shashi Tharoor; MP Vivek Tankha; AICC office bearers and CWC members including Mukul Wasnik and Jitin Prasada and former Chief Ministers and Union Ministers, calls for a sweeping range of reforms, decentralisation of power, empowerment of state units, elections to the Congress organisation at all levels, from the block to the CWC and the urgent constitution of a Central parliamentary board.
Being chaired by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, the meeting of the CWC is being attended by senior leaders of the party, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, A K Antony, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, Amarinder Singh, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Mukul Wasnik and others.
The meeting comes amid an increasing demand within the party for an overhaul in the organizational set up as the party gets ready to take on the Narendra Modi government on various issues like a massive downslide in the economy, rising unemployment, constantly increasing number of Covid cases, the longstanding standoff with China on the border and other issues.
In a recent letter to the Congress president, a group of party leaders sought a complete overhaul of the organisation.
Sources said that responding to the letter, Gandhi on Sunday expressed her desire to quit as Party chief and asked party leaders to get together to select a new party chief.
The sources said that Gandhi said she does not want to carry out the responsibilities of party chief any further and asked party leaders to get together to select a new party chief.
The leaders, it is learnt, have pointed out that the “uncertainty” over the leadership and the “drift” in the party had demoralised workers and weakened the party. Importantly, they are learnt to have said that the CWC is not “effectively guiding” the party anymore in mobilising public opinion against the BJP government.
Notwithstanding her offer to resign, several senior leaders of the party have pitched for the continuance of Gandhi as party chief.
Senior Party leader Ashok Gehlot, however, termed the letter by the party leaders as unfortunate and said that he believes Sonia Gandhi should continue to lead the party at this crucial juncture
‘News of 23 senior most Congress leaders writing letter to Hon’ble CP is unbelievable and if it is true – it’s very unfortunate was no need to go in media I strongly believe that Hon’ble CP Sonia Gandhi ji should continue to lead the party at this crucial juncture where the fight is to save the ethos of our Democracy. She has always taken challenges head on. But if she has made up her mind -I believe Rahul Gandhi should come ahead and be the Congress President as country faces the biggest challenge to save our Constitution -Democracy,’ Gehlot said.
Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh has also backed Sonia Gandhi as party chief.
On 10 August, Sonia Gandhi completed one year as interim Congress chief.
Congress had then said that she would continue till the process for electing the party president gets implemented.
In the last few months, there has been a renewed demand from several quarters for bringing back Rahul Gandhi as the Congress chief given the fact that he has, in the last one year, constantly taken on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP government at the centre on various issues like a massive downturn in the economy, rising unemployment, mismanagement of the Covid crisis, the failure of the Modi government to prevent Chinese intrusion in the Indian territory and alleged irregularities in the deal for Rafale fighter aircraft.
Though, an year ago, Rahul Gandhi had insisted that no member of the Gandhi family would assume the post of party chief, many in the party feel that in the current situation, it is only a young leader like Rahul Gandhi who can take on the Modi Government given the fact that he has relentlessly attacked the PM and the BJP on various issues. The renewed pitch for Rahul as party chief comes after the significant role played by him in resolving the longstanding crisis faced by the Congress Party in Rajasthan after a meeting with party rebel Sachin Pilot.
Significantly, Rahul Gandhi resigned from the post of President taking responsibility for the party’s defeat in the 2019 general elections and after that, his mother Sonia Gandhi was re-elected as the interim President. Now the demand to make Rahul Gandhi president again was gaining momentum. Several people, including party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala, have said from the party platform that the demand to re-appoint Rahul Gandhi to the post of president was in line with the sentiments of most party leaders.
The CWC meeting also discussed general issues like prevailing political circumstances, the Chinese border intrusion, unemployment in the country and economic situation in the country.

New Delhi, Aug 24: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday questioned the timing of the letter by a section of the party and slammed them for going public against the leadership, saying differences needed to be discussed in party platforms and not the media.
He also questioned the timing of the latter as it came at a time when Sonia Gandhi was hospitalised and the party was fighting with the BJP in Rajasthan to save its government.
It invited sharp response from former minister Ghulam Nabi Azad at the meeting. Azad, who is one of the signatories read out the contents of the letter, saying the leaders are not questioning Sonia Gandhi and only wanted organisational reform in the larger interest of the party.
While reading out the letter, Azad asked which part of it was an attack on Sonia or Rahul Gandhi.
Azad said he can never undermine Sonia Gandhi or contribution of Nehru-Gandhi family to the Congress. In his brief speech, the senior Congress leader said Sonia Gandhi’s hard work in building the party, bringing it to power in 2004 and 2009 was a matter of record and doesn’t need validation from anyone. “Changes demanded are purely organisational and in keeping with spirit of CWC resolution passed when Sonia Gandhi took over as interim chief which had called for extensive overhaul,” Azad said.
He said he would resign from the party and politics if anyone proved that he was working in tandem with the BJP. Azad later clarified that he was responding to the charge by party colleagues when he offered to resign. “Rahul Gandhi never said it, neither in CWC or outside, that this letter (to Sonia Gandhi about party leadership) was written in collusion with BJP,” Azad said.
Echoes of the fiery CWC meeting were also heard outside with former minister Kapil Sibal, another signatory to the letter, publicly questioning Rahul’s accusations of a BJP link to the letter seeking sweeping changes to party organisation and elections to the CWC.
“Rahul Gandhi says ‘we are colluding with BJP’. Succeeded in Rajasthan High Court defending the Congress Party. Defending party in Manipur to bring down BJP Government. Last 30 years have never made a statement in favour of BJP on any issue. Yet ‘we are colluding with the BJP’!,”he tweeted.
Later, however, Sibal said Rahul Gandhi had personally informed him that he had never made such a remark. He, therefore, withdrew his tweet.

Earlier addressing the CWC, Rahul Gandhi said Sonia Gandhi had accepted the party presidentship only after the committee last year urged her to take responsibility.
He took on the leaders who went public with their complaints saying, “it is the CWC where we discuss our differences and put out our thoughts, not the media,”.
Questioning the timing of Azad’s letter, the former Congress chief said the letter was sent when Sonia Gandhi was unwell and was admitted to a hospital and at a time when the Congress was fighting the crisis in Rajasthan. (Agencies)

KNT
Srinagar, Aug 24: A section of Congress leaders in Kashmir are in rebellion mode and desperately want incumbent Jammu and Kashmir Congress President Ghulam Ahmed Mir removed from the post of president.
Insiders told news agency KNT that a section of Congress leaders led by former MLC, Advocate Ghulam Nabi Monga in a communiqué to President All India Congress Committee, Sonia Gandhi have vehemently appealed to her to remove Ghulam Ahmed Mir from the president post without any delay. They have alleged that Mir is not only ‘incapable’ but is also unable to motivate grass root level workers due to his past.
“Before taking up this matter with you, we had already conveyed our reservations to in charge General Secretary Ambika Soni and Ghulam Nabi Azad but nothing changed on the ground. Workers are leaving the party and it is the right time to save the Congress party from further deterioration,” the signatories in the letter have written.
The signatories include former minister and General Secretary Congress Kheem Lata Wakhloo, Vice President JKPCC G.N.Monga, Muhammad Anwar Bhat, BDC Chairman Aftab Beigh, Mushtaq Bazaz, District President Pulwama Fayaz Ahmed, Engineer Maroof, Abdul Rehman Magray and State Secretary Imtiyaz Khan.
These leaders have written that they respected the decision of party high command in 2015 when Ghulam Ahmed Mir was installed as President despite the fact he remained in jail for 8 months in an infamous scandal and also who had never worked in the organization even at block level.
These leaders have requested Sonia Gandhi to bring a change in the leadership in the interest of the Congress Party.
When contacted, one of the signatories of the letter confirmed the development saying removal of Ghulam Ahmed Mir is the only way to save the party in Jammu and Kashmir. (KNT)

MeT issues flash flood warning for Aug 26, 27

Srinagar, Aug 24: Heat wave continued as mercury remained above normal, affecting vegetable, fruit and other crops in the Kashmir, where there could be light to moderate rain, thunderstorm with 30 km to 40 km per hour gusty winds for two days from August 26 which could probably result in flash flood at some places.
A Met department spokesman said this evening that weather will remain mainly dry during the next 24 hours in the Kashmir valley, Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh, Gilgit and Baltistan in Pakistan administered Kashmir (PaK) while fairly widespread light to moderate rain in Jammu region.
He said weather remained hot during the past 24 hours when the mercury remained above normal, badly hitting the orchards and farmers besides acute shortage of drinking water leading to protests in the Kashmir valley.
There could be light to moderate rain and thunderstorm with 30 km to 40 km per hour gusty winds on August 26 and 27 which could result in flash flood in some places in the Kashmir valley.
People in summer capital, Srinagar, continued to suffer as the maximum temperature was 5.4 degree above normal while minimum temperature was 3.7 notches above normal. Against the normal maximum temperature 29.2 degree it was 34.6 degree while minimum temperature was 20.1 degree against normal of 16.4 degree in Srinagar. There could be partly cloudy sky to light rain and thunderstorm and the maximum and minimum temperature could be 30 degree and 20 degree respectively during the next 24 hours.
Famed health resort of Pahalgam, about 100 km from here recorded 28.7 degree maximum temperature which was 3.8 notches above normal while at world famous ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir the maximum temperature was 25 degree, 4.8 degree above normal.
Gilgit in PaK recorded 38 degree maximum temperature on Monday, highest in the region followed by Mirpur 36.5 degree, Muzaffarabad 35.5 degree and Skardu 33.6 degree.
Leh and Kargil in UT Ladakh recorded 30.6 degree and 30.8 degree maximum temperature today respectively.

Leader’s question his role after abrogation of Article 370

Srinagar, Aug 24: Due to sharp difference within the party over the role of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) patron Muzaffar Hussain Baig after August 5 last year, when all mainstream leaders, including three former Chief Ministers—Mehbooba Mufti (PDP president), Dr Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah– were arrested, the party meeting slated for Monday was cancelled.
However, some leaders claimed that the meeting called by former Deputy Chief Minister and one of the founder member of PDP Baig has been postponed as no permission was received from the administration which was necessary due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Party sources told UNI on Monday that majority leaders were of the opinion that until party president and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, detained since August 5, 2019, is not released there should be no political activity.
They said after the National Conference (NC) started political activities by organizing meeting of party leaders, senior PDP leader Nizamuddin Bhat had called meeting of party leaders at his residence on Sunday. The meeting of Bhat was cancelled after Baig called meeting on Monday at his residence.
However, sources said, some of the party leaders out rightly rejected the invitation questioning the role of Baig after August 5, 2019 when Centre abrogated Article 370 and 35 A besides downgraded the state and divided it into two Union Territories (UT).
They alleged that Baig, who is also a supreme court lawyer, did nothing to raise his voice against the arrest of Mehbooba Mufti, presently detained under Public Safety Act (PSA) and other party leaders.

Sources said some of the leaders were critical of the statement of Baig at a press conference in Jammu on January 9 this year when he had said that Mehbooba’s provocative statement over Article 370 has resulted in downgrading J&K from a state into Union Territory (UT).

Baig had quoted a statement of Mehbooba in 2017 in which she had warned that no one in Kashmir would hold the Tricolour if Article 370 was tampered with, a provocative statement which should have never been made.

Baig had told the press conference at a time when Mehbooba was in jail that it was a provocative statement which was made by her in his absence. I, on record, have said that the statement like that resulted in downgrading J&K from state into Union Territory. That did not help us and that should not have been made,” Baig had said in his first media conference in Jammu since Article 370 was revoked on August 5 last year.

Baig was present at the time of Gupkar Declaration on August 4 last year, when leaders of different political parties, including Dr Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti and others decided to defend the special status of the state.

However, on Sunday Baig said that current situation demands collective fight for restoration of rights snatched by the centre on August 5, 2019.

He also welcomed the joint statement issued by signatories of Gupkar Declaration on August 22 and said any platform constituted for the restoration of Article 370 & 35(A) needs to be taken seriously.

Baig, who claimed to have not approached before issuing the second declaration, said he welcomed the joint statement issued by signatories of Gupkar Declaration on August 22.

However, several senior PDP leaders, who did not want to be named, said no party activity would be resumed under Mr Baig and until Mehbooba is released. They said though several PDP leaders are still under detention, this could not have prevented free leaders to meet.
Meanwhile, Safeena Baig state president of the Women Wing of PDP has declared that party will not participate in any activity until Mehbooba is released. PDP Supports unified strategy to deal with emerging political situation, Safeena, wife of PDP patron Baig has said.
However, PDP spokesman Harbaksh Singh said Baig hds called a meeting of senior party leaders for which permission was sought from the administration because of COVID-19.
He said a number of senior party leaders are still under detention and their participation would have been possible only after permission by the administration. He said there was no response from the administration to the letter.

About how the NC organized series of meetings in Srinagar, Singh said the government has filed affidavit in the court that no NC leader is under detention that is why they were allowed to attend the meeting. However, in case of PDP leaders, no such affidavit has been filed in the court by the government.
PDP youth president Waheed Para said the meeting scheduled today was postponed in view of the continued detention of some party leaders. But, he said, it was postponed as authorities have refused to allow some of the leaders to move out of their houses. Now party is mulling legal action for the release of the leaders as there are no formal detention orders for them.
He said the meeting will be convened as and when all the leaders are available.
Over a dozen PDP senior leaders, including former ministers and legislators, had left the party and joined newly floated Apni Party headed by Syed Altaf Bukhari, also from PDP.
Former CM and National Conference (NC) Dr Abdullah has recently alleged that centre has put Mehbooba in jail to break her PDP.

Srinagar, Aug 24:  The government on Monday directed the employees of the Civil Secretariat to deposit their identity cards on their transfer outside the Civil Secretariat or at the time of their retirement.

According to a circular issued by Commissioner Secretary to the Government, Manoj Kumar Diwedi under number 20-JK(DAD) of 2020, dated 24-08-2020, reads that “It has been observed that all the officers/officials working in the Civil Secretariat, J&K do not deposit their Identity Cards in the office of Senior Superintendent of Police, (Security), Civil Secretariat on their transfer outside the Civil Secretariat or at the time of retirement.”

“The matter has been considered and it has been felt that the failure to do so is fraught with serious consequences which may compromise the security of the Civil Secretariat,” the circular reads.

“It is, accordingly, impressed upon all the administrative secretaries to direct the officers/officials under their control to deposit their ID cards in the office of Senior Superintendent of Police, (Security), Civil Secretariat in the event of their transfer outside the secretariat or at the time of their retirement,” it added. (KNO)

Budgam, Aug 24: Days after Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) reviewed the deployment of paramilitary forces in Jammu and Kashmir and decided to withdraw 100 companies of various paramilitary forces from the Valley, at least two CRPF companies stationed at Girls Hostel Beerwah in Central Kashmir’s Budgam district were de-inducted.
Sources told news agency KNT that CRPF 131 Battalion B.Coy, and CRPF 159 Battalion C.Coy were withdrawn from Girls Hostel Beerwah.
Sources added that 153 Battalion D.Coy located in Hardpunzoo area was also de-inducted from Beerwah, however, a new CRPF 79 Battalion F.Company was inducted there.
Over all two CRPF Companies were withdrawn while another company was replaced by a new one in Beerwah Budgam.
Sources said that more companies will be de-inducted from several districts of Kashmir Valley in coming days. The official communication from Home Ministry reads that 40 companies of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), 20 companies each of Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and SSB will be withdrawn from Jammu and Kashmir.

The Home Ministry has asked all paramilitaries to withdraw their companies from the Union Territory and send them back to their respective places. (KNT)