United News of India
New Delhi, Apr 1: As 386 new Coronavirus cases surfaced within 24 hours with three more deaths, authorities on Wednesday on a war footing continued the tracing of hundreds of participants of a religious event at Nizamuddin–the new hotbed for Coronavirus cases.

Thousands of people from across the country, as well as from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Saudi Arabia, attended a religious gathering at Markaz Nizamuddin in Delhi last month over a number of days. A large number of them were stuck on the premises as the country went into lockdown on March 24. The centre is international headquarters of Tablighi Jamaat, an Islamic sect.

Scores of people who attended the gathering have tested positive for the virus while several have succumbed. The outcome had not only created a panic within the country but could potentially hinder the containment efforts as many attendees, who could be affected, have reached their hometowns.

Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba, through video conferencing, asked all States Chief Secretaries, Director Generals of Police and Administrators of all Union Territories to conduct intensive contact tracing of Tablighi Jamaat participants on a war-footing in their respective states.

He said that it has been found that foreigners, who participated in the event, violated visa conditions.

‘The states need to initiate action for violation of visa condition against the foreigners and the organisers of the event”, he asked the DGPs.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the tally for coronavirus cases reached 1,637 with a total of 38 casualties.

The active Covid-19 cases stood at 1,466 while 132 people have been cured and discharged. One infected person has migrated from India.

India’s highly populated state, Uttar Pradesh, opened its tally in Coronavirus casualties with one death each reported from Gorakhpur and Meerut.

The Coronavirus has infected as many as 302 people in Maharashtra, with 11 succumbing from the viral infection, the highest across the country.

In Kerala, the total number of Coronavirus climbed to 241, with two deaths.

In National Capital, Covid cases have suddenly increased in past few days. As many as 120 cases have surfaced so far.

Andhra Pradesh has reported as many as 83 positive cases, Tamil Nadu 124, Karnataka 101 and 94 surfaced in Telangana.

Madhya Pradesh accounts for 47 positive cases, Gujarat 74, Rajasthan 94, Uttar Pradesh 103 and Haryana 43.

As many as 23 cases surfaced in Bihar, nine in Chhattisgarh, 13 in Chandigarh, seven in Uttarakhand, 55 people in Jammu and Kashmir, 13 in Ladakh and 26 in West Bengal.

^{United News of India
Jammu, Apr 1: Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Dilbag Singh on Wednesday said that most of the people, who attended the Tablighi Jamaat religious congregation at Nizamuddin in New Delhi, have been traced and will be sent to quarantine.}

^{Without disclosing the number of identified people in the Union Territory, Singh said, ”We have traced almost all those who attended the Tablighi Jamaat event held in Delhi. They will be sent to quarantine by Health authorities.}

^{”They had come from Nizamuddin and remained in their homes here. They neither shared with the authorities, nor informed us,” he said and added that the entire chain is being traced.}

^{Talking to reporters during a visit to Kathua to review the arrangements at the Lakhanpur inter-state border check post, the DGP said there was increase in the number of positive COVID-19 cases in the UT because those who returned from outside, did not disclose their travel history.}

^{Police and other personnel are working round-the-clock to trace the contacts of those, who had attended the Tablighi event and come to the UT, said the police chief.}

KINS
Srinagar Apr 1: In absence of protective gear, nurses in Kashmir are fighting valiantly against Coronavirus.
As Coronavirus has taken a heavy tool across the world, doctors, nurses, and paramedics are susceptible to catch virus in absence of personal protective equipment (PPE).
“We are not given proper protective gear. We are risking our lives but we have to fight this battle together,” said a nurse at CD Hospital Srinagar.
The nurse said they were facing shortage of accommodations. “At least five nurses have to share one small room adjacent to ward. We have to share washroom with attendants. Nobody is concerned about us,” another nurse said.
“There is a fear among families of nurses we may bring home Coronavirus and they too might get infected. Families of several nurses told them not to come home,” the nurse told KINS.
Nurses said they also have been told that bus service is available only within radius of 6-kilometres around hospitals. “We don’t find rented accommodation in surrounding areas of the hospitals in Srinagar as people prefer to stay away from us. Nurses have to cover miles to reach the hospitals,” they said.
“When I come back from duty I take a bath in washroom out of my house. I am endangering my family as I have not been provided with a  protective gear. Even N95 masks and sanitizers are not available for doctors and nurses who are working in the ICUs,” said a nurse working in one of the associated hospitals of Government Medical College Srinagar.
Parveena Khan, president of the nurses association said government needs to protect nurses who work 24×7 in hospitals.
“Nurses are even told to take gowns home and wash them there then reuse next day. Who will like to take infected clothes home? Nurses are on the forefront but are not provided protective gear,” she said.
She said hospitals can run smoothly only when nurses are given protective gear. “We can fight COVID-19 only when we are properly protected. But there is no accommodation for nurses. We too are part of same society. Health should be our priority but with facilities,” she added.
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Precious Kashmir News
Srinagar, Apr 1: According to the new law, a person residing in Jammu and Kashmir for at least fifteen years will now be eligible to be a domicile of the J&K Union Territory.

In the latest gazette notification, Section 3A of the J&K Reorganisation (Adaptation of State Laws) Order 2020, under the J&K civil services (decentralisation and recruitment) Act, has been introduced to define domicile as that “who has resided for a period of fifteen years in the UT of J&K or has studied for a period of seven years and appeared in class 10th/12th examination in an educational institution located in the UT of J&K.”

According to the definition, “children of those central government officials, all India services officers, officials of PSUs and autonomous body of central government, public sector banks, officials of statutory bodies, officials of central universities and recognised research institutes of central government who have served in Jammu and Kashmir for a total period of ten years or children on parents who fulfill any of the conditions in sections are also eligible”

It also states persons registered as a migrant by the Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner (Migrants) in the UT of J&K, will also be included in the definition. “Children of such residents of J&K as reside outside UT of J&K in connection with their employment or business or other professional or vocational reasons but  their parents fulfill any of the conditions provided earlier.”

The provisions of the Act authorise the Tehsildar as competent authority for issuing the domicile certificate, as opposed to deputy commissioner or any officer specially notified by the state government by way of a gazette notification in the form of a SRO.

29 state laws have been repealed while 109 have been amended. Section 5A states that no person shall be eligible for appointment to a post carying a pay scale for not more than level 4 “unless he is a domicile of UT of J&K.”  (KNS)

Srinagar, Apr 1: Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) while welcoming the new Domicile law for Jammu and Kashmir, criticized J&K Apni Party Altaf Bukhari saying that “these very people were demanding” announcement on domicile law and its surprising now to see these people criticize the same.

BJP State General Secretary (organization) Ashok Koul told Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS) over phone that the government has fulfilled the demand of the people of Jammu and Kashmir Union territory. “We welcome the government order on domicile law,”

However he said that it was surprising to see that Kashmiri leaders have criticized the order. “See these people were demanding the domicile law, but now when government has announced it, they instead of welcoming it are issuing the statements against it,” Koul maintained.

Commenting on Altaf Bukhari’s statement Koul said, he should have welcomed the decision of the government. “I don’t know why (Altaf Bukhari) has issued the statement against the government order when nothing is wrong in this order,” he added.

The Centre has redefined domicile law for government jobs in the newly-created Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

It is to mention here that, Jammu Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) president Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Wednesday had demanded that the order be put in abeyance till the COVID-19 pandemic is over.

“It is most unfortunate that such an important order has been issued at a time when the whole country is battling for its survival and is under strict lockdown to stem spread of deadly Coronavirus disease. While JKAP had been vehemently demanding Domicile Rights on land and jobs for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, the order issued by the union government reflects a casual exercise carried out at bureaucratic level without taking aspirations and expectations of people into consideration,” Bukhari  had said.

He had demanded that the order be put in abeyance till the country is out of dangers arising out of COVID-19 deadly disease. “This Order in its entirety is a casual attempt, cosmetic in nature, to hoodwink the people of Jammu and Kashmir who genuinely believed that post October 31, 2019 their rights and privileges in the matter of employment and other rights would remain as it had been,”