New Delhi, July 6: China has withdrawn troops by at least a kilometer in three places in Ladakh including the tense Galwan river valley where 20 soldiers were killed in action in a deadly brawl with Chinese troops on June 15, sources said on Monday. Indian soldiers have also pulled back and a buffer zone has been created between the troops of both sides, according to the sources.

“It is the first phase of the disengagement process. Further steps will be taken after the next round of military level talks,” said the sources.

The Chinese are no longer on Indian Territory in Galwan, the sources say; temporary structures built by Chinese soldiers at the illegally occupied site at the river-bend embankment are being removed by both sides, according to the sources.

There are some indicators that China has started de-escalating from the Fingers region in Pangong.

The Chinese military has dismantled tents and structures near the site of the clash and vehicles have been seen withdrawing from the area as well as at Hot Springs and Gogra – two other contested border zones – according to sources.

Reports of the pull-back have emerged three days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surprise visit to a Ladakh forward post on Friday, where he addressed thousands of troops and asserted, without naming China, that “the age of expansionism is over and expansionist forces have either lost or were forced to turn back.

On Sunday, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke on the phone for two hours and, according to an official statement, had a “frank and in-depth exchange of views on the recent developments in the Western Sector of the India-China border areas”.

Doval and the Chinese minister agreed that “it was necessary to ensure at the earliest complete disengagement of the troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and de-escalation from India-China border areas for full restoration of peace and tranquility”. They also discussed completing disengagement along the LAC expeditiously and “a phased and stepwise de-escalation” in the border areas.

“They reaffirmed that both sides should strictly respect and observe the line of actual control and should not take any unilateral action to alter the status quo and work together to avoid any incident in the future that could disturb peace and tranquility in border areas,” said the government statement. This part was not included in Beijing’s official note on the conversation.

China said front-line troops are taking “effective measures” and making “progress” to disengage and ease the tensions in the Galwan Valley. “China and India have made progress coming up with effective measures for frontline troops to disengage and de-escalate the border situation at the third commander-level talks between the two militaries on June 30,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said.

The third round of talks between the commanders of the Indian and Chinese armies on June 30 went on for 12 hours. A period of two weeks was given for the process of de-escalation during the talks. So the physical withdrawal of the Chinese to their side needs to be completed by approximately July 14. Subsequent military talks will only take place after that, said sources.

Recent satellite images had shown multiple Chinese intrusions across the LAC and the deployment of heavy weaponry and Chinese construction activity. The images had indicated that the Chinese had illegally occupied 423 metres of Indian territory in the Galwan Valley. Images acquired by NDTV from Planet Labs showed a significant consolidation of Chinese forces in Ladakh’s Pangong Lake region where Indian soldiers are being stopped from patrolling after violent skirmishes in May in which dozens of Indian soldiers are believed to have been injured. (NDTV)

New Delhi: The one-km withdrawal by China at Ladakh’s Galwan Valley came after special representatives of India and China agreed to disengage, “take guidance from the consensus of leaders” and “not allow differences to become disputes”. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi, who had a telephonic conversation on Sunday, also agreed that both sides should “strictly respect and observe” the Line of Actual Control — the de facto border between India and China — and should not take any unilateral action to alter the status quo, the government said.

The two sides agreed that “it was necessary to ensure at the earliest complete disengagement of the troops along the LAC and de-escalation from India-China border areas”, the government said in a statement.

“In this regard they further agreed that both sides should complete the ongoing disengagement process along the LAC expeditiously,” the statement added.

Today, sources said China has withdrawn its troops by at least a kilometer and dismantled its temporary structures in Ladakh’s Galwan river valley, where 20 soldiers were killed in action during a clash with Chinese troops on June 15. Indian soldiers have also pulled back and a buffer zone has been created, sources said.

The Chinese foreign minister said both sides “agreed to follow the important consensus reached by leaders of the two countries”.

“Both sides should adhere to the strategic assessment that instead of posing threats, the two countries provide each other with development opportunities… Both believed that maintaining peace and tranquility in the border areas matters significantly to the long-term development of bilateral relationship, that the boundary question should be placed properly in the bilateral relations, and that an escalation from differences to disputes should be avoided,” China said.

The Special Representative level talks came two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise visit to a Ladakh forward post and in his address to the troops, said “the age of expansionism is over and expansionist forces have either lost or were forced to turn back.”

The military commanders of the two nations have already held three rounds of talks, which have all been inconclusive.

After the third round of meeting last week at Chusul, on the Indian side or the Line of Actual Control, government sources said there will be some more rounds to go both at the military and the diplomatic level.

The Special Representatives agreed that the diplomatic and military officials of the two sides should continue their discussions, the government said. Along with it, the talks between the Special Representatives will also continue, the government said.

Sources had said the mutual disengagement on the ground would depend on China agreeing to move back to its positions before the tension started building-up in the areas along the Line of Control.

Since April, Chinese intrusions were reported in the Fingers region on the banks of the Pangong Lake, the Hot Springs area, the Galwan Valley, and the Depsang Plains further to the north. China has also laid claim to the area in the Fingers region of Ladakh’s Pangong Lake. Satellite images have revealed a massive Mandarin symbol and map of China inscribed on the ground they occupy.

On May 5, the Chinese and Indian troops had clashed near Pangong lake. Both sides later disengaged. (NDTV)

New Delhi, July 6: End of term exams in colleges and educational institutions, pending since March because of the lockdown to slow the coronavirus infection, can now be held, maintaining the safety measures, the Union Home Ministry has said.
The ministry today wrote to the Higher Education Secretary, permitting the long pending exams.

The final term examinations are to be compulsorily conducted as per the UGC guidelines and academic calendar for the Universities and as per the Standard Operating Procedure approved by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the letter said.

Kuwait, July 6: A total of 8 lakh Indians may be forced to leave Kuwait as its National Assembly committee has approved a draft expat quota bill seeking to reduce the number of foreign workers in the Gulf country.

The National Assembly’s legal and legislative committee has determined that the expat quota bill is constitutional.

According to the bill, Indians should not exceed 15 per cent of the population. This could result in 800,000 Indians leaving Kuwait, as the Indian community constitutes the largest expat community in the country, totalling 1.45 million, the Gulf News reported, citing a Kuwaiti newspaper.

The current population of Kuwait is 4.3 million, with Kuwaitis making up 1.3 million of the population, and expats accounting for 3 million.

Amid a slump in oil prices and the coronavirus pandemic, there has been a spike in anti-expat rhetoric as lawmakers and government officials call for reducing the number of foreigners in Kuwait.

Last month, Kuwait’s Prime minister Sheikh Sabah Al Khalid Al Sabah proposed reducing the number of expats from 70 per cent to 30 per cent of the population, the report said.

Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem told Kuwait TV that he and a group of lawmakers will submit to the Assembly a comprehensive draft law calling for a gradual reduction of expats in Kuwait.

Kuwait has a real problem in its population structure, in which 70 per cent are expats, the Speaker said, adding that what is more serious is that 1.3 million of the 3.35 million expats “are either illiterate or can merely read and write”, the people Kuwait does not really need, the Kuwait Times reported.

“I understand that we recruit doctors and skilled manpower and not unskilled laborers. This is an indication that there is a distortion. Visa traders have contributed in increasing this figure,” Ghanem said.

The Speaker said the draft law they intend to file will propose to impose a cap on the number of expats, whose numbers must decrease gradually by stating that this year expats will be 70 per cent, next year 65 per cent and so on, the report said.

The expat quota bill will now be referred to the concerned committee for consideration. It states that the Indian expatriate community should not exceed 15 per cent of the national population, which means around 800,000 of them might be required to leave Kuwait, the Arab News reported.

According to the Indian embassy in Kuwait, there are about 28,000 Indians working for the Kuwaiti Government in various jobs like nurses, engineers in national oil companies and a few as scientists.

The majority of Indians (5.23 Lakh) are deployed in private sectors.

In addition, there are about 1.16 lakh dependents. Out of these, there are about 60,000 Indian students studying in 23 Indian schools in the country.

The bill will now be transferred to the respective committee so that a comprehensive plan is created. It proposes similar quotas for other nationalities. Kuwait is a top source of remittances for India. In 2018, India received nearly USD 4.8 billion from Kuwait as remittances.

Foreigners have accounted for the majority of Kuwait’s COVID-19 cases as the disease spread among migrant workers living in overcrowded housing.

According to latest data from Johns Hopkins University, more than 49,000 cases of coronavirus have been reported in Kuwait. Globally, more than 5 lakh people have died and over 11 million have been infected by COVID-19.

Precious Kashmir News
Srinagar, July 6: The Civil Secretariat, the seat of J&K administration, formally reopened in this summer capital on Monday amid Coronavirus pandemic that has so far claimed 136 lives in the Union Territory.

Due to extraordinary circumstances in view of COVID-19, civil secretariat at Jammu will continue to remain functional as only 19 government departments which are part of the Darbar Move have been shifted to Srinagar this year while as 18 other departments will continue to function from the winter capital.

Meanwhile, security was beefed up outside and along the roads leading to the Civil Secretariat to foil any militant attack. Dog squads of security forces were checking the perimeter outside the road leading to the Civil Secretariat.

Traffic on the roads leading to the Civil Secretariat witnessed an increase with the local employees coming in their own private vehicles instead of SRTC buses.

The Civil Secretariat and other Move offices had closed in the summer in the last week of October 2019 and reopened in the winter capital. However, the Darbar move officers, which were support to shift to Srinagar in the month of April, remained stationed in Jammu due to COVID-19 outbreak. Then the Civil Secretariat partially reopened on May 5.

As per the schedule, the move offices closed in Jammu on June 26 and reopen in Srinagar on Monday. The General Administration Department (GAD) in continuation to government order 626-JK (GAD) of June 8, had ordered that the departments shall “primarily function from the headquarters along with the records”.

As per the order, 19 departments shifted to Srinagar as part of Darbar Move along with their records. These departments are: General Administration Department, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Civil Aviation, Culture, Estates Department, Finance Department, Floriculture, Higher Education, Hospitality and Protocol, Industries and Commerce, Information Technology, Labour and Employment, Social Welfare, School Education, Skill Development, Tourism, and Youth, Services and Sports.

On the other hand, 18 departments which are part of Darbar Move are function from Jammu which including Home Department, Planning, Development and Monitoring, Power Development, Revenue Department, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Transport Department, Tribal Affairs, Animal, Sheep Husbandry and Fisheries, ARI and Training, Cooperatives, Disaster Management Relief, and Rehabilitation and Reconstruction, Elections, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Forest, Ecology and Environment, Health and Medical Education, Housing and Urban Development, Information, Jal Shakti.

New Delhi: India has crossed the seven lakh-mark in novel coronavirus cases, with the 3,827 new cases reported by Monday evening taking the total number of cases in the country to 7,01,240.

Of these, over 2.5 lakh are active cases and 19,693 are deaths linked to the virus. The number of people to have successfully recovered from the infectious COVID-19 virus is around 4.24 lakh.

It has taken just four days for India to record one lakh new COVID-19 cases, with more than 20,000 new cases reported every day since July 3 and over 24,000 detected in each of the past two.

The country crossed the six lakh-mark in COVID-19 cases on July 2.

By comparison, it took 110 days to record the first one lakh cases. The country crossed the two lakh-mark on June 3, three lakh-mark in the next 10 days and had logged four lakh cases by June 21.

India’s first case was reported by Kerala in January – a student returning from China’s Wuhan, the original epicentre of a pandemic that has infected over 1.14 crore people worldwide.

On Sunday India also edged past Russia to become the third worst-affected nation.

At this point, only the United States and Brazil have reported more COVID-19 cases than India; the US has nearly 29 lakh cases while Brazil has a little over 16 lakh.

Within India, Maharashtra remains the worst-affected state with more than two lakh cases. Tamil Nadu is second with 1.11 lakh and national capital Delhi – also the worst-affected metro city – is third with more than 99,000 COVID-19 cases.

246 more people test positive, tally mounts to 8675; 5318 recover

Jahangeer Ganaie/Precious Kashmir News

Srinagar, July 6: Kashmir recorded six more COVID-19 deaths on Monday taking the overall death toll in J&K due to the virus to 139, even as union territory witnessed yet another spike in number of positive cases as 246 fresh cases were reported. The total number of positive cases in J&K has mounted to 8675 of which 5318 have recovered till date.

The six deaths include a 55-year-old man from Boniyar Baramulla, a 56-year-old man from Kralpora Budgam, a 90-year-old man from Baramulla, a 48-year-old Border Security Force (BSF) man from Bihar, 75 year old male from Rafiabad, Baramulla and 65-year-old male from Damhal Hanjipora, Kulgam .

PRO BSF Kashmir division, Vishwa Bandu told KNO that a 48-year-old BSF man from Bihar, who had tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday, died on Monday at BSF headquarter Pantha Chowk.

Dr Farooq Jan, Medical Superintendent at SKIMS said that a 55-year-old man from Boniyar Baramulla, who was tested positive for COVID-19, died on Monday morning.  The patient was suffering from Cardiac problems and other ailments, he said.

He further said that a 56-year-old man from Budgam, who was very sick and was tested positive for COVID-19, also died at SKIMS on Monday morning at around 4 am.

The patient was suffering from Bilateral Community Acquired Pneumonia, HTN, CKD and was on dialysis as well, he said.

Dr Saleem Tak, Medical Superintendent at CD Hospital said that a 90-year-old man from Baramulla, who was admitted on June 26, died during night at around 2 am. The patient was suffering from Hypertension, bilateral pneumonia and cardiac ailments, he said.

Dr Nazir Choudary, Medical Superintendent at SMHS said that a 75-year- old male from Rafiabad Baramulla who was admitted on July 04 and was also tested positive for COVID-19 died at SMHS. He said that patient was suffering from multiple problems include hypertension, pneumonia.

A 65 year old man from Damhal Hanjipora, Kulgam who was admitted  admitted at SKIMS, Soura on June 29 died this evening. Medical Superintendent SKIMS, Soura Dr Farooq Jan said that the patient was having underlying medical conditions that include septic uremic and hypertension. “He died at 9:30 pm,” he said.

With six more deaths, the death toll in Jammu and Kashmir has mounted to 139 including 125 from Kashmir division and 14 from Jammu division.

246 more people test positive
Meanwhile, the Government on Monday informed that 246 more people  tested positive for  COVID-19, 36 from Jammu division and 210 from Kashmir division, thus taking the total number of positive cases in Jammu and Kashmir to 8675.

Moreover, 63 more COVID-19 patients have recovered and discharged from various hospitals, 08 from Jammu Division and 55 from Kashmir Division.

According to the daily Media Bulletin on novel Corona virus (Covid-19), out of 8675 positive cases, 3219 are Active Positive, 5318 have recovered and 138 have died; 14 in Jammu division and 124 in Kashmir division.

The Bulletin further said that out of 406212 test results available, 397537 samples have been tested as negative till July 6, 2020.

Additionally, till date 299748 travelers and persons in contact with suspected cases have been enlisted for surveillance which included 40157 persons in home quarantine including facilities operated by government, 47 in Hospital Quarantine, 3,219 in hospital isolation and 46777 under home surveillance. Besides, 209410 persons have completed their surveillance period.

Providing district-wise breakup, the Bulletin said that Bandipora has 308 positive cases (including 01 cases reported today) with 24 Active Positive, 281 recovered (including 02 cases recovered today) and 03 death; Srinagar has 1216 positive cases (including 65 cases reported today) with 738 Active Positive, 445 recovered (including 22 cases reported today), 33 deaths; Anantnag district has 721 positive cases (including 01 case reported today), with 146 Active Positive, 564 recovered,  11 deaths; Baramulla has 1064 positive cases (including 41 cases reported today) with 588 Active Positive, 450 recovered (including 11 cases recovered today), 26 deaths; Shopian has 861 positive cases (including 12 cases reported today) with 233 Active Positive, 615 recovered (including 04 cases recovered today) and 13 deaths; Kupwara has 607 positive cases (including 03 cases reported today) with 165 Active Positive, 435 recovered (including 06 cases recovered today) and 07 deaths; Budgam has 489 positive cases (including 03 cases reported today) with 198 Active Positive and 281 recovered cases (including 07 cases recovered today) and 10 deaths; Ganderbal has 120 positive cases (including 01 case reported today) with 42 active positive cases and 77 recoveries (including 03 cases reported today) and 01 death; Kulgam has 908 positive cases (including 49 cases reported today), with 294 Active Positive and 598 recoveries and 16 deaths and Pulwama reported 572 positive cases (including 34 cases reported today) with 301 active positive cases and 267 recovered and 04 deaths.

Similarly, Jammu has 403 positive cases (including 06 cases reported today) with 90 active positive cases and 305 recoveries (including 04 cases reported today) and 08 deaths; Udhampur has 291 positive cases  (including 01 case reported today) with 83 active positive cases, 207 recovered and 01 death; Samba has 199 positive cases (including 13 cases reported today) with 79 Active Positive and 120 recoveries; Rajouri has 128 positive cases (including 04 cases reported today) with 58 active positive cases and 69 recovered (including 01 case recovered today) and 01 death; Kathua has 254 positive cases (including 05 cases reported today) with 63 Active positive and 190 recovered (including 02 recoveries today) and 01 death; Kishtwar has 29 positive cases with 08 active positive cases and 21 recovered; Ramban has 239 positive cases (including 03 cases reported today) with 52 active positive and 187 recoveries ; Reasi has 48 positive cases (including 03 cases reported today) with 16 active positive and 32 recovered; Poonch has 125 positive cases (including 01 case reported today) with 10 active positive and 114 recoveries (including 01 cases reported today) and 01 death while Doda has 93 positive cases with 31 active positive cases and 60 recoveries and 02 deaths.

According to the bulletin, of the total 8675 positive cases in J&K 2516 have been reported as travelers while 6159 as others.

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

The bulletin has informed the people that, the best way to protect themselves from COVID-19 is by maintaining physical distance of at least 2 metre from others, frequently cleaning hands with an alcohol based hand sanitizer or washing them with soap and water and following good respiratory etiquette and hygiene.

As a measure for social distancing in public places and workplaces wearing a face cover is compulsory.

The bulletin again explained that early detection of COVID-19 can prevent the spread of disease so we need to be responsible for the well-being of ourselves and everyone around us. “Not disclosing symptoms could put life of individuals and their families at risk. In case of symptoms like fever, cough and difficulty in breathing report early. Do not fear, call COVID-19 helpline numbers and seek medical advice”.

Advisory has further exhorted upon the people not to step out of home, unless absolutely necessary. “If you have to move out for unavoidable reasons, ensure that you wear a mask and practice social distancing, personal hygiene and frequent handwashing with soap and water.”

In case of any emergency people can avail free ambulance services 24×7 at their doorsteps by calling on toll-free number 108 while as pregnant women and sick infants can avail free ambulance services by dialling toll-free number 102.

People can also call on toll-free national helpline number 1075; J&K COVID-19 Helpline Numbers 0191- 2549676 (UT level Cell), 0191-2520982, 0191-2674444, 0191-2674115 (For Jammu Division), 0194-2440283 & 0194-2430581 (For Kashmir Division) for support, guidance, and response to health-related queries on Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).

Public is advised to strictly follow the advisories issued by the government from time to time and rely only on the information released by the government through the daily media bulletin to print and electronic media.

People are also advised to refrain from spreading rumours and pay no heed to them at the same time.

‘ Of 1100 beds  only 20 % beds occupied in Valley hospitals’

Jehangeer Ganaie

Srinagar, July 6: Amid rise in the number COVID-19 cases in Jammu & Kashmir, the government on Monday said that sufficient arrangements have been made to deal with the growing cases in the Valley.

Talking to KNO Director Health Services Kashmir, Dr. Samir Mattoo said sufficient arrangements have been made in the Valley to tackle the mounting number of COVID cases in Kashmir.

“The department has made 11,000 beds available to tackle these cases,” he said.

Dr. Mattoo further stated that at present, only 20 per cent beds are occupied in the Valley hospitals.

He told KNO that there was no need to increase the number of COVID dedicated hospitals in the Valley at present as the department has got enough facilities.

Pertinently, the Kashmir Valley is witnessing a surge in the number of cases with the Director Health Services Kashmir informing that nearly 6,000 cases out of 8429 detected till Sunday evening belong to Kashmir division only.

The number of cases started increasing soon after the authorities ordered relaxation in the three-month-long lockdown. The lockdown was announced in the month of March with an aim to prevent the deadly Coronavirus from spreading.

Suhail Khan

SRINAGAR, July 6: Expressing concern that people were not following COVID guidelines, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir P K Pole Monday said he has directed tourism development authorities not to allow any person to visit tourist places.

Authorities have closed tourist places in Kashmir to contain the spread of coronavirus. Surprisingly, the authorities are allowing people to visit tourist places like Pahalgam, Sonamarg, Kokernag, and Drung, thus posing a serious threat of spread of deadly virus.

Divisional Commissioner Kashmir P K Pole also expressed concern that people were visiting tourist places. “We are looking into how to stop people from visiting tourist places. I have also directed tourism development authorities not to allow anyone to visit tourist places,” Pole told KINS.

He said tourist places have not been opened yet as there is a rise in the coronavirus cases.

A spokesperson of the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), in a statement on Monday said people had started thronging public parks and picnic spots which was a matter of grave concern and alarm. “The situation gets worse on weekends and holidays,” the spokesperson said.

The business leaders, elders of civil society and families are requested to play their role in controlling the serious ramifications of this invisible pandemic, it said.

Scores of people are thronging daily to the picturesque Pahalgam, Sonamarg even without wearing masks or maintaining social distancing.

“Hundreds of people visit here daily. Although the government says tourist places are closed for visitors, people are allowed to visit Pahalgam,” an official said.

The official said the orders of the government are not implemented on the ground. “We fail to understand if tourist places are closed then how come these people reach here,” he said.

People are being allowed to go to Pahalgam despite SDM Pahalagm on June 23 issued an order, which reads, “It has been observed that during the past few days the local tourists have started to come to Pahalgam. They have tried to pitch tents and stay on the banks of the river. In view of the COVID-19, the flow needs to be stopped. It is therefore ordered that all checkpoints be strengthened and all tourist activity be stopped till further orders. Tehsildar and SHO concerned will ensure the implementation of the restrictions in the area. Besides I/C tourist police will render all the assistance to SHO Pahalgam for implementation of the order.”(KINS)