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Remain prepared to give befitting reply to any misadventure from across: Army chief

Remain prepared to give befitting reply to any misadventure from across: Army chief

Tribune News Service
Srinagar, April 17

Army chief General MM Naravane on Friday impressed upon the commanders to maintain strict vigil along the Line of Control and remain prepared to give a befitting reply to any misadventure from across.

On the second day of his two-day visit to the Kashmir Valley, General Naravane, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), visited the forward areas and reviewed the security situation along the LoC, which has seen an escalation of tension recently after a deadly gunfight in Keran sector of Kupwara.

The COAS accompanied by Northern Army Commander Lt Gen YK Joshi and Chinar Corps Commander Lt Gen BS Raju visited the formations and units, wherein the local commanders briefed the COAS on the existing security situation and the measures instituted so that infiltration bids by terrorists are foiled.

“The Chief of Army Staff was briefed by the local commanders on the situation on the Line of Control, ceasefire violations, our retaliations, counter-infiltration operations and operational preparedness being maintained,” the Srinagar-based defence spokesman said.

During his interaction with the soldiers on snow-clad heights, he was appreciative of the sharp vigil and alertness along the Line of Control and high morale of the troops.

The COAS also impressed upon the commanders to maintain strict vigil along the Line of Control and remain prepared to give a befitting reply to any misadventure from across and exhorted the soldiers to remain alert for any eventuality.

There has been an escalation of tension along the LoC after a recent fierce encounter in Keran Kupwara, in which five elite Para commandos and as many militants were killed.

Days later the Indian Army targeted militant launch pads and gun positions in Keran sector following a ceasefire violation by Pakistan.

Three civilians, including a seven-year-old child, were killed in cross-border shelling in Kupwra some days ago.

 


98-year-old woman in Moga stitches masks for the needy

98-year-old woman in Moga stitches masks for the needy

97-year-old on mission to stitch masks

Chandigarh, April 18

Gurdev Kaur Dhaliwal, 98, wakes up early every day, offers prayers and then spends hours on her sewing machine, which is almost as old as her, stitching face masks for the poor who can’t afford them.

The resident of Moga district in Punjab has blurry vision in one eye, but that does not let her energy and vigour down, said her daughter-in-law Amarjit Kaur.

The nonagenarian, who takes help of a walker, wakes up early, offers prayers and then starts making masks on the machine which her in-laws got for her from Singapore over 100 years ago.   “Several vegetable sellers in our area were not wearing masks. We told them to wear it to protect themselves from coronavirus but they said they could not afford it. Then we decided to stitch masks and give it to them free of cost,” Amarjit told PTI over phone.

Now, many people have started coming to her house to get free face covers, she said.

Dhaliwal’s neighbours are coming forward to help her and many of them also giving clothes for making masks, Amarjit said.

The Punjab government has made wearing masks mandatory as at least 202 people have been infected with coronavirus in the state. PTI


Capt lashes out at Harsimrat’s claims on relief from Centre

Capt lashes out at Harsimrat’s claims on relief from Centre

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, April 18

Hitting out at Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal for trying to “mislead” the people, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Saturday categorically rejected her claims of Central relief being provided to the state for fighting Covid.

“Your information is absolutely incorrect,” said Capt Amarinder in response to Harsimrat’s series of tweets in which she claimed that “Punjab received funds and grains to deal with the Covid crisis”.

“The state has received absolutely no money from the Central government in its fight against Covid,” said the Chief Minister, terming Harsimrat’s remarks as another manifestation of “her compulsive habit of lying and being ill-informed” about even the basic facts relating to her own state.

Asking her to cross-check her facts, the Chief Minister said instead of using her office as a Central minister to help out her own state, Harsimrat was shamelessly indulging in petty politics.

“What are you doing sitting there if you can’t fight for Punjab and its people,” the Chief Minister asked Harsimrat, lashing out at her for trying to undermine the state government’s efforts instead of supporting it.

Nailing Harsimrat’s lies, the Chief Minister pointed out that the Rs2,366 crore referred to by her on the GST count was Punjab’s money, in lieu of the GST owed to the state against arrears. And even there, Rs4,400 crore of the state’s money was still pending with the government, he added.

“You couldn’t even get our own pending arrears released, leave alone get us the much-needed relief package to fight the Covid battle,” he quipped.


Retired doctors of Army on standby

Retired doctors of Army on standby

New Delhi, April 17

A list of retired Army Medical Corps officers and paramedic staff has been readied for any exigency while 50 military hospitals have been notified as dedicated Covid hospitals.

In case the need arises, retired personnel may be requested to volunteer for working in hospitals at their current home stations. Forty three officers and 990 paramedics have volunteered till date, the Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh was informed at review meeting today.

Meanwhile, to cater for isolation and treatment (including ICU-based care) for Covid-19 cases, a notification has been issued for 50 military hospitals to be dedicated as Covid and mixed Covid hospitals.

These hospitals have a combined bed capacity of 9,038 patients. Civilian Covid-19 cases would also be admitted in these hospitals to cater to any surge in cases.

Training activities have been suspended at AMC Centre & College, Lucknow, and Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune. Approximately, 650 medical officers undergoing postgraduate training at the AFMC will be reverted back to units for provision of medical cover depending on the evolving situation. — TNS

 


25 Navy sailors infected

25 Navy sailors infected

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 18

As many as 25 sailors of the Indian Navy have tested positive for Covid-19 at shore-based logistics hub INS Angre in Mumbai, the headquarters of the Western Naval Command. Naval officials said the 25 sailors were undergoing treatment at INHS Asvini, the naval hospital at Colaba in Mumbai.

Army doc tests +ve

The Indian Army on Saturday reported its ninth Covid case with a woman doctor posted at Dehradun testing positive. Her contacts are being traced. Separately, a batch of Army doctors in Lucknow are being tested and quarantined.

The infected personnel had shown no symptoms but were quarantined after a fellow sailor tested positive a few days back. INS Angre is tasked with supplying logistics to naval units.

“Most (cases) are asymptomatic and have been traced to a single sailor who tested positive on April 7. They all reside in the same accommodation block at INS Angre,” the Navy said. INS Angre has been put under total lockdown and the Navy is carrying out testing of all people staying in the residential accommodation that has been declared a containment zone.

These are the first en bloc cases in the Navy. The Western Naval Command is a strategic establishment as it takes care of India’s maritime interests in the Arabian Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean.

The Navy has said it “remains combat-ready and mission-capable”. Navy warships continue to remain on patrol, covering a vast oceanic swath from the Straits of Malacca to Bab-el-Mandeb near Yemen. Besides, surveillance planes of the Navy are doing daily sorties.


Coronavirus: Not considering pension cut, says Centre

Coronavirus: Not considering pension cut, says Centre

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, April 19

The central government said on Sunday there was not considering any proposal for pension cuts, a development that comes amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In an official release, the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension said it had come to its notice that in the wake of the current coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing economic scenario, “many rumours are afloat that the Government is contemplating a reduction/stoppage of Pension which has become a source of worry for the Pensioner”.

It said: “As clarified earlier, it is being reiterated that there is no such proposal for reduction of pension and no action is contemplated by the Government in this respect. Instead, the Government is committed for the welfare and well being of the pensioners”.

Earlier taking note of reports suggesting 20 per cent cut in pensions to conserve cash during the Covid-19 lockdown, even Union Ministry of Finance in a Twitter post clarified saying: “This news is false. There will be no cut in pension disbursements. It is clarified that salaries and pensions will not be affected by government cash management instructions.”

The tweet came in response to a question by a social media user, who said he has come across a central government circular showing 20 per cent cut in pension disbursement on social media and TV channels.


DRDO comes up with 2 products to kill viral microbes

DRDO comes up with 2 products to kill viral microbes

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 18

As part of its ongoing innovations to counter the threat of COVID-19 pandemic, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has come up with two products which can enhance safety at public places neutralising viral mircrobes.

Two laboratories at New Delhi, the Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences (DIPAS) and Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), have designed and developed an ultraviolet C-light based sanitisation box and hand-held device, which are good at destroying genetic material in COVID-19.

The radiation warps the structure RNA which prevents the viral particles from making more copies of them.  The C-light kills the microbes quickly. Sanitisation of the items by employing C-light avoids the harmful effects of the chemicals used for the disinfection. This is environment friendly and is a contact-free effective sanitisation method.

The C-light box is designed for disinfecting personal belongings like mobile phone, tablets, purse, currency, cover of office files, etc. By placing them in the box and exposing them to the ultraviolet light for about a minute.

The hand-held device having an 8 watt UV-C lamp disinfects office and household objects like chairs, files, postal delivered items and food packets with an exposure of 45 seconds. This measure can reduce the transmission of coronavirus in office and public environment which is required to work in all conditions.

The other product is an automatic mist-based sanitiser dispensing unit developed by the Centre for Fire Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES), Delhi. It is a contactless sanitiser dispenser which sprays alcohol-based hand rub sanitiser solution for sanitisation of hands while entering the buildings and office complexes. It is based on water mist aerator technology, which was developed for water conservation.

The unit operates without contact and is activated through an ultrasonic sensor. A single fluid nozzle using an atomiser, only 5-6 ml sanitiser is released for 12 seconds in one operation and it gives the full cone spray over both palms so that disinfection operation of hands is complete.

It is a very compact unit and the bulk fill option makes it economical and long lasting product. It is easy to install system as wall-mountable or on a platform. As an indication of operation an LED illuminates the spray.

The unit can be used for sanitisation of hands at entry and exit to hospitals, malls, office buildings, residential buildings, airports, metro stations, railway stations, bus stations and critical installations. The product is also expected to be very useful for entry/exit of isolation and quarantine centres.


The lost story of Made in Amritsar

It might be the undisputed food capital of North India today, but once upon a time, Holy City was a major textile trading centre

The lost story of Made in Amritsar

High fashion: In the 1940s, Punjabi men and women wore a variety of imported material, the kind that was traded at Amritsar. From here, the fabrics made inroads into other towns of Punjab.

Jasvinder Kaur

Around 200 years ago, as Maharaja Ranjit Singh, aided by his legendary French generals, was consolidating his kingdom, the latter were introducing Europe to rich North Indian textiles. At the heart of this trade was Amritsar, the undisputed food capital of North India today, but a major centre for textiles in the distant past.

Amritsar, for many centuries, has in one way or the other been associated with textiles, either as a producer or as a trading centre. In fact, it became a centre of production of shawls and was at the forefront of exporting them to Europe during Ranjit Singh’s rule.

High fashion: In the 1940s, Punjabi men and women wore a variety of imported material, the kind that was traded at Amritsar. From here, the fabrics made inroads into other towns of Punjab.

Kashmir became a part of the Sikh kingdom in 1819 after Ranjit Singh invaded it. Shortly afterwards, in 1822, Ranjit Singh hired men from Napoleon’s army — Jean-Francois Allard and Jean-Batiste Ventura — as his generals. By 1835, these generals were exporting shawls to Europe, and Amritsar had become the centre of the Kashmiri shawl trade.

Weavers and dyers from Kashmir settled in the plains and hills of Punjab during this period. One of the factors that pushed them to do so was famine. As a result, Kashmiri colonies were established in places like Amritsar and Ludhiana in present-day Punjab and Nurpur and Tiloknath in what is now Kangra in Himachal Pradesh.

Shawls made in Amritsar — jamavar or kani and amli — were of high quality. Writing in 1872, Baden Powell mentions that shawls from Amritsar were close in quality to Kashmiri shawls. The striped shawls were called jamavar or kitraz, and were popular in Iran and Turkey. These were made by the complicated kani technique. As these were used to make jamas, the word jamavar was also used for them. The amli shawls, on the other hand, were embroidered Kashmiri shawls.

Kurta, early 20th century, made from imported material

A complex weave

Weaving of kani shawls in the early 19th-century Kashmir was a slow and laborious process. A single shawl could take up to 18 months or more. Owing to their high demand, a method was devised to weave the shawl in pieces on two or more looms. This way, the shawl was made in much less time. These pieces were then handed over to the rafugar or darner. He would join them with such precision that it was hard to tell. William Moorcroft, an English explorer, mentioned this in his writing in 1821 and called it a recent innovation. He undertook a detailed study of the shawl industry between 1820 and 1823, and wrote an account that has been preserved at the India Office Library, now part of the British Library, London.

A velvet saree blouse. Early 20th century. From the wardrobe of a woman in Ferozepur

Early 19th century saw the beginning of the amli or embroidered shawls. These were introduced in Kashmir at the instigation of Khwaja Yusaf, an Armenian, who came to Kashmir in 1803 as an agent of the Constantinople Trading Company. He saw a chance to produce the embroidered shawls in a much shorter time than kani or jamavar. Since these shawls didn’t fall into the category of woven shawls, he was also able to escape the duties levied on kani shawls. His company thus made huge profits and ushered in embroidered shawls. This also pushed the demand for plain pashmina shawls which were then used as a base for amli shawls.

By the third quarter of the 19th century, the important centres of weaving plain pashmina were not only in Kashmir but also in Ludhiana and Amritsar, the holy city being a formidable manufacturer. At an art exhibition held in Lahore in 1864, shawls — pashmina, amli, and kani or jamavar — from Kashmir, Amritsar and Delhi were exhibited.

Kashmir-style embroidery in a floor spread, made in Amritsar

Ever-expanding

With time, the shawl industry declined and the carpet industry came up to fill the gap. Trade in carpets rose partly on the ruins of the pashmina shawl trade. By 1911, Amritsar was exporting carpets worth Rs5 lakh; it picked up a steady pace after the Great Depression. Among other things made in Amritsar were different styles of embroideries. Powell, in 1872, writes about Lahore and Amritsar as the centres for gold embroidery or salma work. Amritsar was also producing some of the finest phulkaris, some of which were even exported to America.

During the British Raj, the most important item of import were piece goods, and Amritsar was trading in silk and woollen cloth. Silk trade centre was located at Batti Hattan. It was later shifted to Katra Ahluwalia, which, in turn, became the centre of trading in piece goods. Sant Ram Reshamwala was one of the importers of silk from Europe.

The fabric imported in early 20th century did not just include pure silk, but also artificial silk from Japan, Italy and France. It was cheaper and came in attractive colours. In the 1930s, majority of silk was imported from Japan, so much so that many firms from Amritsar opened offices in Japan. From Europe, cottons with European motifs like roses were imported.

From Amritsar, the fabrics made inroads into other parts of Punjab. They became popular with women, who used them to make suits and dupattas. The designs, patterns and textures were different from what was available locally. Women here knew them by various names like Lady Minton (probably Lady Hamilton), Malaysia, Dil-ki-pyaas, Aap-ka-nasha, Do-ghorae-di-boski (probably from China), Shangai (probably from Shanghai). The most famous among these was the Do-ghorae-di-boski or double horse boski from China. The brand still sells on alibaba.com.

Fashion fabrics

In Punjab, another interesting fabric that came from abroad and became very popular among women was the one used for making parachutes. Known as ‘parachute cloth’, it was not sold as continuous yardage, but in pieces. The stitched parachute would probably be opened up and sold in triangular pieces or chattrian (umbrellas) about 6-7 feet wide and 10 feet long.

These were probably the surplus parachutes that were allowed to be sold after World War II got over in 1945. In the initial years of the war, the material used for making parachutes was silk. After America joined the war by the end of 1941, the Allies used parachutes made of nylon as they were unable to import silk from Japan.

In Britain, there are many stories of women making their wedding dresses, blouses, petticoats with the RAF parachute material. These were white, lime green and sometimes orange in colour. It was, however, not an easy material to get as it was illegal to obtain it while the war was on. Even the used parachute had to be turned in to the authorities for investigation. Women in England used any material available to them during the war for their wedding dresses, whether it was parachute silk or blackout material, which had been duly bleached.

Many of the fashion fabrics that were used by women in Punjab before India got Independence were used as a base for doing salma or gota work. Velvet, another popular fabric, was used not only for garments but also for palangposh (bedcover) or other household articles like cushions. All the fabrics sold during the British Raj were available at shops in big cities. And Amritsar, being a trading centre, played an important part in the textile trade and in distributing it to other parts of Punjab.


Naval Hospital ship ‘Patanjali’ treated 8 coronavirus patients A total of 14 people have died due to the COVID-19 disease in Karnataka

Naval Hospital ship 'Patanjali' treated 8 coronavirus patients

New Delhi, April 19

At a time when 14 COVID-19 deaths have been reported from Karnataka, the Indian Naval Hospital Ship (INHS) ‘Patanjali’ at Karwar in Uttara Kannada district has so far treated eight civilian patients affected with the deadly coronavirus.

The civilians were of the first group of COVID-19 positive patients who were admitted to the hospital on March 28 after the INHS Patanjali was prepared in every aspect within 24 hours acting on a request from the Karwar District administration upon announcement of the first phase of 21-day nationwide lockdown from March 25.

Out of the nine patients admitted at the hospital, eight have been cured and discharged so far, said a statement issued by the Naval Base, the Indian Naval Hospital ‘Patanjali’.

A team of three doctors, nine medical staff along with nine support staff ensured round-the-clock care to the nine COVID-19 positive patients admitted thus far.

“With the discharge of these eight patients over the last few days, the hospital is now attending to a lone patient admitted on April 16 who is also responding favourably to the treatment,” the statement said.

In view of this additional responsibility, the statement said, INS ‘Patanjali’ has made alternate arrangements for routine medical attention to the large population of service personnel and families dependent on the hospital.

The hospital has been at the forefront of the fight against novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) by treating the patients from the Uttara Kannada district.

A total of 14 people have died due to the COVID-19 disease in Karnataka and over 350 confirmed cases have been reported from the state so far. IANS


ncome Tax return forms being revised: CBDT Will allow assessees to avail benefits of timeline extension granted by government following COVID-19 outbreak

Income Tax return forms being revised: CBDT

New Delhi, April 19

The income tax department on Sunday said it is revising the I-T return forms for the financial year 2019-20 to allow assessees to avail benefits of various timeline extension granted by the government following the COVID-19 outbreak.

The new income tax returns forms for the financial year 2019-20 will be notified by the month-end and return filing utility would be available by May 31.

The government has extended various timelines under the Income Tax Act, 1961, through the Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation of certain provisions) Ordinance, 2020.

Accordingly, the time for making investment or payments for claiming deduction under Chapter-VIA-B of IT Act that include Section 80C (LIC, PPF, NSC etc.), 80D (Mediclaim) and 80G (Donations) for the financial year 2019-20 has also been extended to June 30, 2020.

“In order to enable income taxpayers to avail full benefits of various timeline extensions granted by the Government of India due to COVID-19 pandemic situations, the CBDT is revising the return forms for FY 2019-20 (Assessment Year 2020-21) which shall be notified by the end of this month,” the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said in a statement.

CBDT said in order to facilitate taxpayer to avail full benefits with various timeline extension up to June 30, 2020, granted by the government, it has initiated necessary changes in the return forms so that taxpayers could take benefits of their transactions carried out during the period from April 1, 2020, to June 30, 2020, in the return forms for FY20.

“The necessary modifications in the return forms are being made to allow taxpayers to avail the benefits of their investments/transactions made for the April-to-June 2020 period,” the CBDT said.

Once the revised forms are notified, it will further necessitate the consequential changes in the software and return filing utility.

“Hence, the return filing utility after incorporating necessary changes shall be made available by May 31, 2020, to avail benefits for FY 2019-20,” it added.

Generally, the income tax return forms are notified in the first week of April. This year also, the e-filing utility for filing of return for Assessment Year 2020-21 was made available on April 1 2020, and the income tax return (ITR) Forms ITR-1 (Sahaj) and ITR-4 (Sugam) for the FY 2019-20 (Assessment Year 2020-21) were also already notified on January 3, 2020.

“However, to ensure that the taxpayer is enabled to avail all benefits of the timeline extension due to COVID-19 pandemic, the Return Forms revision is being carried out,” CBDT said. — PTI