18522 fresh cases reported in 24 hours; death toll mounts to 16893

New Delhi, June 30: India’s contagion tally has reached 5,66,840, after a spike of 18,522 fresh infections in the past 24 hours, Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

Fatalities due to the pandemic have increased to 16,893 across the nation after 418 more people succumbed to the virus spread since Monday.

However, there is an improvement witnessed on the recoveries front, and now the count of patients cured and discharged has reached 3,34,822, which is now 1,19,697 more, as compared to the active cases at present.

The active cases in the country are 2,15,125, the government data said.

Meanwhile, 8,60,8654 samples have beem tested for Covid till Monday, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

“Private school owners should stop behaving like whipping boys. Rather than approaching the helmsmen they should discuss their problems with the parents and take them on board. They are not going to win any sympathizers by cribbing about their losses. They should bear in mind that they are not the only ones who have faced losses. Everyone in Kashmir is sailing in the same boat.”

Precious Kashmir News
Srinagar, June 30: Private Schools’ Association of Jammu and Kashmir (PSAJK) has termed the misusing of fee waiver scheme offered by PSAJK as extremely unfortunate as all parents have altogether stopped depositing any kind of fee resulting in a situation where hundreds of schools are in danger of closure.

The Association said that PSAJK had offered to help the society in the shape of fee waiver scheme for extremely affected class of the society but some people are using the opportunity to completely boycott paying of fee to schools. “There was no government order regarding any kind of fee waiver. In fact we were allowed to collect fee. In a good faith to help the society we decided to offer some kind of reprieve to people. But the irony is that few lobbies have hijacked the entire scheme,” said a spokesman of PSAJK. “Some vested interests and greedy people have completely twisted the facts. They are telling people that 100 % fee is waived to 100 % students. In that case our education sector in is danger of collapse.”

The Association said that rich people are infringing on the rights of deserving families. “The situation is such that government employees and other class of people who had sufficient income during the lockdown are blatantly refusing to pay any kind of fee. In some cases poor parents paid fee without complaint and rich parents refused to pay even a penny,” said the spokesman. “Just a day after fee waiver scheme was announced, the entire fee collection by Schools have dived from 50-60% to absolute zero. Nobody is paying fee. Plus parents are not even ready for verification which is mandatory for anybody to be declared as a deserving candidate. They have taken everything for granted.”

The Association termed the situation alarming which could have bleak consequences for the future. “In some cases our schools have been attacked by aggressive parents who refuse to give any kind of fee or give logic towards their behaviour,” said the spokesperson.

The Association blamed the situation on certain parents and groups who mislead the people and were unable to explain the real situation to them. “Some people twisted the facts and took undue benefit of our noble gesture. At a time when government doesn’t help even affected person we had come forward,” said the spokesperson.

The Association said that on one hand people are ready to pay one year fee in advance to big schools and missionary schools, but on the other hand they simply refuse to pay fee to local schools who run on limited budget.

The Association in executive committee meeting today decided to halt the entire fee waiver scheme in the larger interests of saving the fragile private education sector. “The executive council meeting was attended by all the members who decided unanimously to halt the entire fee waiver scheme. Parents have been asked to deposit the fee as per routine as already directed by the High Court,” said the spokesperson.

The Association said that at a time when schools are doing all out efforts to help students with community schooling, offline assignments, online classes and other initiatives, the reciprocal cooperation from parents has not been encouraging. “Our motto has been that there needs to be balance between helping deserving families and sustaining the income of 65000 families of employees associated with private schools. If schools have zero income then entire society will suffer and education sector will collapse,” said the spokesperson.

Srinagar, June 30: The third round of talks between India and China were held at Indian side of Moldo- Chushul border post.
According to KINS the Commander level Army officers of India and China held discussions to ease the tensions on the border issues of Eastern Ladakh region.
Sources said that talks began at 10:30 Tuesday Morning at Chushul post. “The Indian side Army delegation was led by GoC, Fire and Fury Lt Genl Harinder Singh while the  Peoples Liberation Army was represented by South Xinjiang Military Division’s  Major General Lin Lui,” sources maintained.
The commanders met for the second time after the Galwan stand-off on 15 June.
On 22nd of June, the two sides arrived at a mutual consensus to disengage from all the friction points along the Line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh.
Sources said that both sides deliberated on the implementation of the decisions arrived in their first meeting on 6th of June.

Beijing, June 30: Beijing on Tuesday unanimously passed the controversial security law for Hong Kong that will not only criminalise secession, subversion and collusion with foreign forces, but also effectively curtail protests and freedom of speech.

The law that could come into effect on Wednesday was approved by 162 members of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) within 15 minutes of the meeting starting at 0900 hrs, a Hong Kong Daily — South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported.

The law would make it legitimate to set up mainland security agencies in Hong Kong and for the committee headed by the chief executive to appoint judges to oversee national security cases, RTHK reported. The chief executive will be supervised by the central government, and the new legislation will be adopted into existing Hong Kong law.

Earlier, Hong Kong city leader Carrie Lam said, “All those countries which are pointing their fingers at China have their own national security legislation in place. We can think of no valid reason why China alone should be inhibiting from enacting a national security legislation to protect every corner of its territory and all of its nations,” and added, “I welcome this opportunity to state our position on the enactment of the legislation of national security law for HKSAR.”

The legislation, supported by Hong Kong leadership, caused protests by the pro-democracy groups in the city, whereas the leader of country’s pro-democracy organisation ‘Demosisto’ — Joshua Wong said he was leaving the group, which he had spearheaded.

But some other veteran activists have said they will join a key march on Wednesday, despite the risk of arrest under the new law.

It also drew criticism and sanctions from the United States, despite Beijing repeatedly stating that the matter of Hong Kong is the nation’s internal affair and should not be interfered with. Britain, the European Union and United Nations rights watchdog have also voiced fears the law could be used to stifle criticism of Beijing, which wields similar laws on the authoritarian mainland to crush dissent.

Hong Kong was handed back to China from British control in 1997, but under a special agreement that guaranteed certain rights for 50 years. As a special administrative region, Hong Kong maintains separate governing and economic systems from that of mainland China under a principle of ‘One Country, Two Systems’.

Beijing, June 30 (Sputnik) China is determined to take appropriate countermeasures to attempts of the United States to undermine the national security law on Hong Kong, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a briefing on Tuesday.

On Monday, the US government announced a set of measures curtailing Hong Kong’s preferential status under US law, including exceptions on export licenses. As announced by State Secretary Mike Pompeo, the US has suspended export of military equipment and is set to also suspend export of US defense and dual-use technologies to Hong Kong.

“On Hong Kong’s national security legislation, the Chinese side has made clear its solemn position on many occasions. It is China’s internal affair and no foreign country has any right to interfere. The Chinese government is determined in safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests, in implementing the ‘one country, two systems’ policy, and in opposing external forces’ interference in Hong Kong affairs,” Zhao said.

According to the spokesman, the purpose of Washington’s restrictions is to “obstruct China’s legislation process to safeguard national security in Hong Kong.”

“Such attempts will never succeed. As regards the wrong moves by the US side, China will take necessary retaliatory measures to resolutely safeguard its national interests,” Zhao said.

The law in question was passed by the standing committee of the National People’s Congress earlier in the day following a little more than a month-long review since proposed by the lawmakers. This is expected to adjust security policies in Hong Kong to Beijing’s perception of crime and punishment with regard to separatism, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign agents.

The legislation has triggered a backlash both abroad and in Hong Kong, where residents fear their basic freedoms and rights, enjoyed under the autonomous region’s special status, might get painfully limited by Beijing.

Aatif Qayoom

Srinagar, June 30:  Jammu and Kashmir Bank has stopped salary of month of June to about 2800 employees who were recruited in last six years.

Top official sources informed KNS that the salary of those employees has been stopped whose name has figured in the documents related to the investigation being carried by Anti Corruption Bureau( ACB).

” This is not our decision actually. It is related to raid of ACB sleuths at J&K Bank corporate office when they took possession of some files last year. We approached Anti Corruption Court and sought photocopies of those files. The court accepted our prayer and issued an observation that salary of these employees should not be withdrawn,” he said.

Sources informed that they are approaching High Court for release of salary of these employees.

Scores of the employees informed that it has created panic among the employees who fear it as step towards their exit from the Bank.

On June 10 last year, following the allegations of fraudulent appointments in J&K Bank, ACB searched for documents at corporate office related to it.

Then ACB spokesperson had said that the searches of the premises of J&K Bank which started yesterday after registration of FIR.

During search operations, documents, discriminatory material pertaining to the appointments were seized. Further investigation is going on and questioning of accused/suspects will follow,” the spokesman had said.

During the raid, the ACB officials had checked the files and documents related to appointments made by the bank in recent years.

An official of the Bank said, “Presently we are not able to release their salary but there is no worry, we are following it, we have already approached court and are sure the issue will be sorted out within days”.

Vice President J&K Bank Ltd. Farooq Ahmad Law while talking to KNS admitted that the employees have not received their salaries.

He clarified that salaries have been stopped after ACB initiated investigation of some case related to the institution, but we have moved to court and are hopeful that the issue will be resolved soon. (KNS)