Monthly Archives: August 2018

A DRDO erected 500 bed Sardar Vallabhai Patel Hospital in New Delhi
Medical facilities of DPSUs, OFB to treat civilian COVID-19 patients: Rajnath after review meet
New Delhi: All health facilities of defence public sector undertakings and the Ordnance Factory Board have been allowed to provide health services to civilian population requiring treatment for COVID-19, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Saturday.
Singh also said that the armed forces and the defence ministry will leave no stone unturned in providing all possible assistance to the civil administrations in dealing with the pandemic.
The defence minister’s comments came after he reviewed efforts by the three services and various other wings of his ministry in contributing to India’s fight against a fast-spreading second wave of COVID-19.
Officials said several Indian Navy ships were put on standby for any assistance in moving oxygen tankers in view of a shortage of medical oxygen for treatment of COVID-19 patients.
Singh carried out the review at a virtual meeting attended by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, Army Chief Gen MM Naravane, Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh and DRDO chairman G Satheesh Reddy, among others.
“Reviewed the efforts of Ministry of Defence and the three Services to fight against the current wave of COVID Pandemic through video conferencing facility. The Armed Forces and MoD will leave no stone unturned in providing all possible assistance to the civilian administration,” he tweeted.
He said the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is adding another 250 beds by Saturday evening at its Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Covid Hospital near the Delhi airport. The addition will take the total number of beds at the facility to 500.
The defence minister said a 1,000-bed hospital, set up by the DRDO, has become operational in Gujarat.
India is struggling with the second wave of the pandemic with more than 3,00,000 daily new coronavirus cases being reported in the past few days, and hospitals in several states are reeling under a shortage of medical oxygen and beds.
Singh said work is in full swing to establish a COVID-19 treatment facility in Lucknow that would become operational in the next five-six days, adding the hospitals would be run by the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) in coordination with the Uttar Pradesh government.
“All health facilities of Defence PSUs & Ordnance Factory Board have been allowed to provide health services to local COVID-19 affected civilian population. The MoD officials and the three Services are closely monitoring the progress of various initiatives taken by the Ministry,” Singh said in another tweet.
The three services as well as other wings of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) have been extending support to various state governments and union territories in dealing with the massive spike in coronavirus cases.
Since Friday, the Indian Air Force airlifted empty oxygen tankers and containers to various filling stations across the country to speed up the distribution of the much-needed medical oxygen.
The IAF has also been transporting essential medicines as well as equipment required by the designated COVID hospitals in various parts of the country.
On Saturday, one C-17 transport aircraft of the IAF picked up from Singapore four cryogenic containers for storage of liquid oxygen to boost oxygen supply in the country, officials said.
In the meeting, the defence minister was informed that the IAF transported two empty oxygen container trucks from Pune to Jamnagar and another two empty oxygen containers from Jodhpur to Jamnagar.
One Chinook helicopter airlifted medical equipment from Jammu to Leh.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat on Monday to review the ongoing operations of the Indian Armed Forces to battle the current wave of coronavirus disease (Covid-19). The recent surge in infections has caused a shortage of medical oxygen and beds.
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat on Monday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to review preparations and operations being undertaken by the Indian Armed Forces to deal with the raging coronavirus pandemic, according to a government statement. In addition to deploying additional medical officers, doctors and nurses at the hospitals, the armed forces are aiming to make military-grade medical infrastructure available to civilians, CDS Bipin Rawat informed the Prime Minister.
“The CDS briefed the PM that all medical personnel from armed forces who have retired or taken pre-mature retirement in the last 2 years are being recalled to work in Covid facilities within proximity of their present place of residence. Other medical officers who retired earlier have also been requested to make their services available for consultation through medical emergency helplines,” General Bipin Rawat informed the Prime Minister, according to the statement. He added that other medical officers who had retired earlier are also being requested to provide consultation through medical emergency helplines.
Moreover, all medical officers currently on staff appointments at command headquarters, Corps headquarters, Division headquarters, and similar headquarters of the Indian Navy and Indian Air Force will be employed at hospitals. Nursing personnel is also being employed in large numbers to accompany the doctors at the hospitals, the PIB release cited CDS Rawat as saying.
Regarding the current oxygen crisis in the country, General Bipin Rawat said that oxygen cylinders available with the armed forces in various establishments will be released for hospitals. Not just this, the armed forces are also planning to build medical facilities in large numbers to make potential military medical infrastructure available to the civilians.
Prime Minister Modi reviewed the operations being undertaken by the IAF to transport oxygen and other essentials in India and abroad. He also asked the CDS to instruct Kendriya and Rajya Sainik Welfare Boards and officers posted in various headquarters to coordinate the services of veterans to extend the reach to remote areas.
India is currently struggling with a more infectious second wave of the deadly coronavirus disease (Covid-19) infection and hospitals in several states are reeling under a shortage of medical oxygen and beds in view of rising Covid-19 cases. The country recorded more than 300,000 coronavirus cases for the fifth day in a row on Monday.

SS Chhina

Any mention of the Andaman and Nicobar islands had been of much interest to me because of the tales of freedom fighters imprisoned in the Cellular Jail there. So, it was a pleasure when I was entrusted with the task of undertaking a study of the panchayat elections in those islands.

Prior to my departure for Port Blair, I was told that about half the population of Andaman and Nicobar comprised Punjabis who settled there after serving their term of imprisonment. When I arrived at Port Blair and headed towards the guesthouse, I looked on both sides of the road, but could see just a lone turbaned Sikh driving his scooter on this 5-km route.

Dalwinder, another prominent Punjabi, came to see me after a short while and discarded my misconceptions. These are not two islands of Andaman and Nicobar, rather there are 550 islands spread in a periphery of about 600 km. The group of 28 Nicobar Islands is about 500 km from the Andamans. Only 36 islands are inhabited. The population is only of 5 lakh, and the Punjabi population is hardly 1 per cent, numbering about 5,000. People from all states of India and all religions live here. The literacy rate is 100 per cent and nobody is below the poverty line.

The next day, while in a dense jungle, we saw a memorial in the memory of 40 Army men killed by the Japanese army, in which 22 were Punjabis. While visiting the Cellular Jail, the large number of Punjabi names could be read on the long list of prominent prisoners, particularly the statue of Baba Budh Singh outside the jail gate. The other Punjabi concern was the rush at dhabas in Port Blair. Rangat Road is 150 km long and was constructed by linking the islands with bridges.

But once I visited Dr Dewan Singh Gurdwara, I realised why the man was so revered. A medical officer of the jail, he served all sections of the population facing penury and distress. When the Japanese occupied those islands, they resorted to acts of tyranny on the civil population, thinking they were helping the British. Dr Dewan Singh was asked not to serve the civil society, but he refused. The Japanese could not judge his spirit. He was tortured and attained martyrdom in the same jail where he was a medical officer.

As he lived in the hearts of the people, they came together to construct a beautiful gurdwara, a solace for the locals as well as the visitors. The gurdwara dispensary provides free service to those in need of medication. It is one religious place in that remote location where members of the management belong to all religions, serving as a lighthouse in what was known as Kala Pani during the colonial rule.

Jammu: The Army has postponed its common entrance examination for recruitment which was to be held in Samba on April 25. — PTI

Border Roads Organisation (BRO) constructs bridge on Tarnah river

The bailey bridge. File Photo courtesy: BRO

New Delhi, April 23

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has constructed a 160-foot-long bailey bridge on the Tarnah river to connect Sakol village in Punjab with Jammu, an official statement said on Friday.

The bridge will provide a much-needed lifeline to the village residents, who had to go through a lot of hardship to cross the “dreaded” river every year during monsoon, it noted.

Workers of the Border Roads Organisation worked relentlessly round-the-clock and finished the construction of the double-decker bridge in five days, the statement said.

The bridge lies on the Chadwal-Sanjimore-Hariyachak-Paharpur-Simbal stretch, the BRO stated. “Every year a pontoon bridge was required to be launched for crossing the river and delaunched (removed) after receding of water levels post-monsoon. Now, this bridge will provide all-weather connectivity between both the regions,” it said. — PTI

Covid-19 testing machinery being loaded onto Chinook at the Air Force Stations in Chandigarh on Saturday. PTI

Jammu, April 24

The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Saturday airlifted to Ladakh medical equipment weighing 1,700 kg, including bio-safety cabinets and centrifuges, which will help augment Covid-19 testing facilities in the Union Territory, officials said.

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM) in Jammu provided the equipment.

“The IAF’s Chinook and AN-32 helicopters airlifted a payload of 850 kg each, comprising a total of four bio-safety cabinets, two centrifuges and two stabilisers to Leh and Kargil. The items worth over Rs 1 crore were handed over by CSIR-IIIM-Jammu for the UT of Ladakh,” Jammu-based Defence PRO Lt Col Devender Anand said. Last year, CSIR-IIIM director DS Reddy had promised the equipment to Ladakh in collaboration with Sun Pharma as part of its corporate social responsibility to augment the testing capacity in the UT’s two districts — Leh and Kargil. — PTI

A farmer gets vaccinated at Tikri on Saturday. Photo: Sumit Tharan

Jhajjar, April 24

The district administration finally succeeded in persuading protesting farmers camping at the Tikri border to get vaccinated against Covid. In all, 10 farmers received the jab at a vaccination booth today.

The booth was set up three days ago, but no farmer turned up during the first two days even as the number of farmers at the Tikri border continued to increase.

Purushottam Singh Gill, a leader of the BKU (Lakhowal), said: “In the Thursday’s meeting with administrative officials, farmers’ organisations had made it clear that they did not have a problem with anyone getting vaccinated. The outfits had also said they would not force anyone to get the jab. It would be a personal choice.”

He added many farmers had already got themselves vaccinated in Punjab.

The number of farmers is increasing at the Tikri and Singhu borders as the harvesting is over.

Civil Surgeon Dr Sanjay Dahiya said, “A team of doctors was in constant touch with protesting farmers and motivated them to get vaccinated. It is good some farmers have come forward, leading by example. It is hoped that the number will increase.” — TNS

Mukesh Tandon and Ravinder Saini

Tribune News Service

Sonepat/Jhajjar, April 25

With Haryana Chief Minister authorising Deputy Commissioners (DCs) to take a call about the imposition of Section 144 of the CrPC to avoid public gatherings in their respective districts in view of the Covid pandemic, the development has put a question mark over the continuation of the farmers’ agitation with thousands of farmers camping at Singhu and Tikri borders for the past five months.

Sonepat DC Ashok Bansal said the prohibitory orders would be enforced on getting the directives from the government in black and white. “Thereafter, no one will be spared whether they are farmers or any others if they are found violating Section 144,” he added.

While Jhajjar DC Jitendra Dahiya said Section 144 was already in force in the district following the farmers’ agitation and the new directives were for crowded places. He avoided answering the question about whether the prohibitory orders applied to protesting farmers at Tikri border or not.

Meanwhile, Pargat Singh, a BKU (Rajewal) leader while reacting to the CM directives about Section 144, said it might be a new plot of the state government to spoil their agitation which was getting stronger with every passing day.

“We are not afraid of such orders and will not move back without getting the three farm laws repealed. The government is now under pressure and wants to instigate us to indulge in violence, but we will not do so even when the police cane charge us. Our protest will continue in a peaceful manner until the demands are met,” Singh added.

Mentions articles from newspapers to give it authenticity

Aakanksha N Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, April 25

Amarveer Kaur (17) from Dasuya, Hoshiarpur, has made her presence felt everywhere, including overseas with her book ‘Inquilab 2020’.

The book features various events of farmers’ protest so that future generations can read about the struggle of the farming community. This book is based on research conducted on the Indian Peasants Movement (Kisan Ekta Morcha) from September 2020 to December 2020.

In the book, Amarveer has mentioned articles and edits from various newspapers to give it authenticity and more weightage. She has documented day-to-day events and remembers all dates by heart.

The 17-year-old has also mentioned other issues, which are prevalent in Punjab. Amarveer, who initially planned to write the book in Punjabi, said, “In Punjab, we all know what is going on. This is not only for us, but for those who reside abroad as well.”

An excerpt from the book reads: “Farmers are struggling since September 15 against agricultural ordinances (now laws), the fear of which shall snatch their livelihood in the coming decade. The year 2020, proved to be one of the worst years of civilisation. It did no good, but eventually gave momentum to the farmers’ revolution of 2020. Farmers have stood against the injustice for almost 73 years after Independence and before. It is one of the most revolutionary movement in which, not only men, but women participated, along with poor and rich, young and old. In my words, it’s going to be the most dramatic revolution in an independent democratic rule, where, representatives of people try to become rulers and henceforth, plan to become dictators.”

She said she was trying to know and understand the world and things around both analytically and emotionally.

An allrounder

• Amarveer Kaur (in pic) studies in Class XII (non-medical stream). Since her very first step into the school, she has been taking part in debates, declamations and sporting activity
• She secured 91.6 per cent in Class X and participated in state-level games. In 2017, she bagged gold and bronze medals in swimming competition during Punjab State Games (Khelo India School Games)
• The momentum continued in 2018 and she was again selected for state-level games. Apart from swimming, she loves to play chess

struggle continues: Farmers stage a dharna at the Tikri border. Photo: Sumit Tharan

Tribune News Service

Sonepat, April 25

The farmers’ protest at the Singhu and Tikri borders completed 150 days on Sunday.

“Our protest is an example of unity and commitment towards a just cause. The Centre tried several tactics to defame the protest, but farmers held their ground during the past 150 days.

“They will not step back without getting the three farm laws repealed,” said Pargat Singh, a leader of the BKU (Rajewal).

Other Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) leaders said farmers had already won the battle ethically and morally by protesting peacefully for five months. “The victory will be complete once the Centre repeals the three farm laws and assures legal guarantee on the MSP,” said Dr Darshan Pal, an SKM leader.

Another SKM leader Balbir Singh Rajewal said farmers had already opened one side of the road for emergency services in view of the rising Covid cases and cleaned it today, but barricades put up by the Delhi Police had not yet been removed.

On the KMP expressway, meanwhile, the authorities tried to re-start toll plazas again today.

Gurnam Singh Chaduni, a BKU leader, said: “No toll will be charged till farmers are protesting. If the state government and toll operators try to charge the toll, they will face protest by farmers.”