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

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

Vijay Mohan
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, April 19

The Indian Army has taken over the responsibility of managing the Narela Quarantine Center in Delhi during the daytime. The centre is among the largest in India for housing those suspected of having COVID-19.

“The army has taken the initiative to manage the facility completely under its arrangement from morning 8 AM to evening 8 PM pm and relieving the civil doctors and medical staff who are now required to manage the facility only during the night,” a senior official from the Army’s Western Command, Chandimandir, said here on Sunday.

An Army team, comprising of 40 personnel, including six medical officers and 18 para-medical staff, have volunteered to stay within the centre’s premises. A small team of army doctors and nursing staff have been assisting the civil administration at the centre since April 1.

Presently, 932 members of Markaz Jamaat are being housed in the facility and 367 have tested COVID-19 positive, the official said.

The Army had received a request from the Home Ministry to take over the medical screening at the Narela quarantine camp.

The Narela Quarantine Center was established by the Delhi Government in mid-March. Initially, 250 foreign nationals, returning from foreign countries, were kept in this centre. Between March 31 and April 1, an additional strength of approximately 1,000 members of Tablighi Jamaat were brought here from Nizamuddin Markaz.

An Army medical team, including two doctors and two nursing assistants, was deployed at the Narela camp earlier. This was the first instance of Army doctors being deployed to help civil administration to help tackle the COVID-19 outbreak.

Narela, incidentally, happens to be the site of a battle that took place in January 1757 between the Maratha Army, led by Antaji Mankeshwar, and an advance column of Ahmad Shah Abdali’s army, in which the Maratha Army had won.

Apart from providing medical cover with the civilian centre at Narela, the Army is also running its quarantine centres for civilians at Jodhpur, Jaiselmer and Manesar. This is in addition to quarantine centres set up at military stations for defence personnel. The other two services are also running their camps.

To cater for isolation and treatment (Including ICU-based care) for COVID-19 cases, orders notifying 50 Armed Forces hospitals as dedicated COVID hospitals and mixed COVID hospitals have been issued.

These hospitals have a combined bed capacity of 9,038 patients. Also, 100 medical officers from recruiting organisations are being detailed to work in hospitals where COVID wards are being established.

A list of retired AMC officers and paramedical staff has been readied who may be requested to volunteer for working in military hospitals at their current home stations in case the need arises. Forty-three officers and 990 paramedics have volunteered till date.

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, April 12

Three civilians were killed in a ceasefire violation by Pakistan on Sunday in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, police said.

The heavy shelling started on Sunday afternoon and the shells landed in different residential areas in the border district.

“Two civilians have died in Kupwara and one in Handwara,” said a senior police officer while claiming that Pakistan violated the ceasefire and fired at Indian posts and civilian areas that caused civilian casualties.

One of the slain is a woman from Tumina Chowkibal area. Many residential houses were also damaged in the shelling.

Two days ago India Army claimed that it targeted militant launch pads and gun positions in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir following a ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Keran sector, Kupwara.

On Friday, Srinagar based defence spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia had said Pakistan violated ceasefire agreement and it was retaliated effectively and strongly.

“..Own troops retaliated effectively and strongly. Precision targeting of gun areas, terrorist launch pads and ammunition dump carried out. Reports of heavy damage on enemy side,” Col Kalia had said.

New Delhi, April 12 

Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri demanded an “exemplary punishment” for the members of a Sikh sect who chopped off a policeman’s hand with a sword and injured two others on being asked to show curfew passes in Patiala on Sunday.

Condemning the inhuman attack, the Union housing and urban affairs minister said “such criminals and anarchists” should be brought to justice at the earliest.

The Nihangs severed a hand of an assistant sub-inspector and injured two of the policeman’s colleagues after their vehicle was stopped outside a vegetable market and they were asked for curfew passes.

“The inhuman attack on policemen in Patiala needs to be condemned in the strongest of terms. Such criminals & anarchists should be brought to justice at the earliest. They deserve exemplary punishment. I pray for speedy recovery of the injured policemen,” Puri tweeted.

Hours after the incident, police arrested seven men, including five of the attackers, from a gurdwara in Balbera village in Patiala district.

Punjab Director General of Police Dinkar Gupta described the incident as “unfortunate”.

“In an unfortunate incident today morning, a group of Nihangs injured a few police officers and a mandi board official at sabzi mandi, Patiala. ASI Harjeet Singh whose hand got cut-off has reached PGI Chandigarh,” Gupta tweeted.—PTI

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 11

An elderly couple in their 70s have undertaken an emergency 2,100-km road trip from New Delhi to Bengaluru to “see” their dead son one last time.

The body of Colonel Navjot Singh Bal from the 2 Para Special Forces is at a morgue of a military hospital in Bengaluru, where he died of cancer on April 9.

Colonel Bal’s parents — Lt Col KS Bal (retd) and Ramninder Kaur — set off from Gurugram on April 10 on the long road trip.

“The cremation of Bal, 39, is held up,” a ‘Para-SF’ mate of Col Bal told The Tribune. The Colonel is survived by his wife and two sons — aged 8 and 4 years. Aarti, wife of the Colonel, awaits her in-laws for the last rites of her husband.

With no commercial flights or trains available, the family was given the option of transporting the Colonel’s body on a military aircraft to Delhi. However, the family insisted on cremation at Bengaluru, Army officials confirmed.

The option was explored if the couple could be flown to Bengaluru in a military plane. However, owing to confusion at several levels, including in the Ministry of Defence and the military establishment, the Bals could not be accommodated on a military flight from Palam (New Delhi) to Bengaluru on April 10.

Sources said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, acting on a request from the office of Chief of Defence Staff, permitted the Bals to be accommodated on a C-17 transport plane of the IAF on April 10.

Since the flight was requisitioned by the MHA, someone in the military establishment thought it was better to take a ‘sanction’ from the MHA. The MHA telephonically gave its go-ahead. The military establishment, however, insisted on a ‘written sanction’. The MHA told officials coordinating the flight that a request for such a sanction needn’t even come to it. There is no rule for the MHA to allow or deny permission for military planes or passengers on board such planes.

Sources said the telephonic nod from the MHA should have been noted and orders passed accordingly, given the unprecedented situation in the country. The Bals were also willing to pay for the journey. In places such as Leh, civilians are often ferried to Chandigarh aboard military planes during winter when there are no flights.

An official said a matter that should have ended at the table of the Joint Secretary (Air) in the MoD had turned into one of blame game. Retired veterans are blaming the ‘babus’ in the MoD and MHA, without realising the fault was at multiple levels, including within the military.

Mates raise 22 lakh

On the night of April 9-10 when MoD officials were busy going through the rule book, Colonel Bal’s mates from Para-SF collected Rs22 lakh to ferry parents by helicopter from Delhi and Bengaluru airports. However, it couldn’t materialise as they embarked on a road trip

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 11

The Centre today issued a detailed set of cyber security guidelines for people working from home in view of the nationwide lockdown to contain spread of the deadly coronavirus, as it suggested them to be careful of phishing e-mails, which may be disguised as similar to their superiors’ mail-ids.

Asking the employees at large involving both in the government and private sectors, who are on work-from-home mode, to strictly adhere to the guidelines issued by their respective employers, the MHA suggested that all should “change the default passwords and keep strong password for all devices and online accounts.”

The MHA also asked for using computers/laptops provided by employer companies/organisations and avoid as much as possible using personal systems. “Do not use same devices for work and leisure activities,” it said.

It is also suggested that users should ensure to keep their online devices in the disabled mode “until and unless required” and they should be used with proper security features including secured network for accessing office system.

“Don’t share meeting links publicly or via social media platforms and use only trusted apps and operating systems approved by employers for video-conferencing,” it said.

Home ministry issues guidelines

• Change default password, keep it strong for all devices.
• Beware of phishing e-mails which may look like similar to those of your boss
• Keep online devices on disabled mode until and unless required
• Use employers’ computer/laptops and avoid using personal devices
• Use only trusted apps and operating systems for video-conference

Moscow, April 12

All the major military contracts, including the deliveries of S-400 air defence missile systems, between Russia and India will be on schedule and the coronavirus pandemic will have no effect on their timeframe, according to India’s top diplomat here.

“I don’t think there will be any impact. There has been slight dislocation of a couple of weeks but all the major contracts will be on schedule, we don’t anticipate any problem on that,” Indian Ambassador to Russia Bala Venkatesh Varma was quoted as saying by the TASS news agency on Saturday.

In October 2018, India had signed a USD 5 billion deal with Russia to buy five units of the S-400 air defence missile systems, notwithstanding warning from the Trump administration that going ahead with the contract may invite US sanctions.

Last year, India made the first tranche of payment of around USD 800 million to Russia for the missile systems.

In February, Deputy Director of the Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC), Vladimir Drozhzhov, said that Moscow will begin the delivery of the S-400 surface-to-air missile systems to India by the end of 2021 and there will be no delay in execution of the project.

“We will fulfil our delivery commitments,” Drozhzhov had said, adding that the defence cooperation between the two countries is very robust.

The ‘Triumf’ interceptor-based missile system can destroy incoming hostile aircraft, missiles and even drones at ranges of up to 400 km.

The S-400 is known as Russia’s most advanced long-range surface-to-air missile defence system.

Russia plans to complete the delivery of the fifth regimental set in the first half of 2025.

The US had imposed sanctions on Russia under the stringent Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). The law also provides for punitive action against countries purchasing defence hardware from Russia. PTI

Vijay Mohan
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, April 12

The period of nationwide lockdown to mitigate the threat of coronavirus will not to count towards conduct of certain departmental proceedings actions like suspension, disciplinary proceedings, review, etc that were otherwise required under All India Service rules to be completed in a time bound manner.

“The intervening period of lockdown shall be excluded while reckoning the periods towards completion of activities within the time limits prescribed for the purpose under ALL India Service / IAS / IPS / IPS Rules and regulations or instructions issued there under,” orders issued by the Department of Personnel and Training state.

In view of the pandemic caused by the spread of COVID-19 and unprecedented nation-wide lockdown, it may not be feasible to carry out time bound activities or events and adhere to time lines prescribed under various extant rules, the orders add.

Validity period of suspension, including its confirmation, review order of suspension and its communication to the central government by states, submission of written statements of defence, completion and submission of inquiry reports, period of limitation, and disciplinary proceedings initiated against a pensioner fall under the ambit of the order.

Acceptance notice of voluntary retirement scheme, concurrence of vacancy to state governments under All India Service Pay Rules and intimation of movable and immovable property have also been included in the said order.

The central government has also decided that after the lockdown is lifted, a minimum period of 15 days may be granted to completing the required activity or event if the time left to complete any task is less than 15 days.

The orders add that these relaxations are applicable only in such cases where there is an intervening lockdown period and will also not be applicable in cases where, in view of the pandemic, specific relaxation in timelines have been allowed separately.