Jammu: The Army is reaching out to people by launching a multi-pronged campaign in its fight against coronavirus. It has been undertaking awareness campaigns and educating people during the pandemic. It has also established multiple telephone helplines for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Apart from providing essentials, such as ration, medical aid, masks, soap and sanitiser to the poor and needy, the Army is making announcements on loudspeakers asking people to restrict their movement as part of the lockdown. It is also distributing pamphlets in bilingual language in remote areas, especially among the nomadic Gujjar and Bakarwal communities, to provide important information related to Covid. All field hospitals of the Army have been instructed to be ready to set up an isolation facility exclusively for the Covid patients. TNS

Community policing upped in villages

Jammu: While the government is working at its level to tackle the spread of coronavirus in Jammu, people have started to restrict the entry of outsiders in their villages and localities. Community policing is being done to ensure the success of the 21-day lockdown period. People are guarding the entry point to Chatta village on the outskirts of Jammu to ensure that no one enters there without any reason. The sarpanch of Chatta Farm, Avatar Singh, on the outskirts of Jammu has involved village youths to barricade the village entry to check people from entering the place. Whoever moves outside the village for essential works or comes to the village is asked the purpose of his work, and his identity papers are checked. To ensure the regular supply of the essential commodities in the panchayat, people contact youth volunteers constituted by the sarpanch, who are contacted in case of any emergency via phone. OC

SMC carries sterilisation drives

Srinagar: The Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) conducted prompt sterilisation drives in the Hyderpora and Natipora areas after two cases tested positive for Covid. Officials said a fully equipped team of 50 members took to these areas for conducting fumigation and prescribed chemical spraying around 300-meter radius of these areas. All connecting lanes, bylanes, mohhallas, mosques in Natipora and Hyderpora were sanitised under the supervision of ward officers, sanitary supervisors and inspectors concerned after the news came that two persons had tested positive, which created panic among residents. TNS

Press club flays gag on covid info

Srinagar: The Kashmir Press Club condemned the attempts by authorities to “throttle information on coronavirus” amid the lockdown. The press club said the recent order issued by the Director, Health Services, Kashmir, ordering the doctors and paramedics “not to share information with the media about the ongoing crisis” was nothing but a crude attempt to further stifle the freedom of the press in the region. “Stopping the information flow amid the unprecedented situation is highly condemnable,” the KPC said in a statement. It said putting out information during the pandemic through the media was of vital importance as it helped to stop the flow of unverified information and rumours. TNS

Residents urge L-G to ban polybags

Jammu: Amid the coronavirus pandemic and as the UT is seeing a rise in the number of positive cases, residents have appealed to Lt-Governor GC Murmu to replace polythene bags with paper bags, which are safe and less harmful. Many researches claim that the virus vitality lasts longest on plastic but polythene carry bags continue to be in use and people carry their daily items, including vegetables and groceries, in them. People have also requested the Jammu Municipal Corporation and the UT Pollution Control Board to immediately launch a drive and confiscate the polythene bags from the shopkeepers. TNS

Board exams evaluation suspended

Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education has extended the suspension of the evaluation process of the Class X and XII annual exams of the summer zone amid the coronavirus outbreak. Sources said the board had taken the decision in view of the lockdown and advisories issued by the government of Jammu and Kashmir. The exams of Class X, XI and XI, which were postponed till March 31, have now been postponed till further orders. The new dates for the exam will be communicated by the board separately. TNS

Tele-counselling helpline launched

Jammu: In a significant move to guide students, parents and teachers if they have any anxiety or other issues arising out of the Covid situation, the Directorate of School Education, Jammu (DSEJ), has decided to extend special services of its tele-counselling helpline “Aao Baat Karein”. The counselling cell of the school directorarte, which runs the tele-counselling helpline has collaborated with the Brainpreneurs – Child Development Centre (CDC), Jammu, an organisation dedicated to the cause of child mental health. The trained clinical psychologists of Brainpreneurs-CDC will be available for counselling on the helpline number 6006800068 along with their teacher counsellors/counselling psychologists. TNS

IIT-Jammu starts online classes

Jammu: To ensure that there is not much academic loss of students due to the ongoing campus shutdown amid the Covid pandemic, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) -Jammu has started online classes for its students from Thursday thorough learning management system (LMS). For the students attending online classes through the LMS, there are different categories of courses, including computer science, physics, mathematics, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, chemical engineering, humanities and social sciences, chemistry, materials enginering, common courses etc. TNS

Chandigarh, April 7

The Chandigarh Administration on Tuesday made it mandatory for people to wear masks in public places to check the spread of the novel coronavirus.

“We have made it mandatory for people in Chandigarh to wear masks or cloth on their face from Wednesday,” the Union Territory of Chandigarh Adviser Manoj Parida said here.

He said anybody flouting the order will be warned by the police. However, the decision regarding levying penalty on violators is yet to be taken, Parida said.

He said Chandigarh will be the first Union Territory (UT) that has made wearing masks mandatory.

The UT of Chandigarh has reported 18 coronavirus cases so far and of them, seven have been cured, Parida said.

Besides, the administration has also decided that the payment of water and electricity charges and payment of house rent, including for rehabilitation colonies, will be deferred, he said.

Chandigarh administrator VP Singh Badnore on Tuesday held a meeting to view the situation here.

Parida informed Badnore that the number of positive cases had come down in Chandigarh to 11 because of curfew measures and observation of social distancing by residents. PTI

handigarh, April 9

An 81-year-old woman, who defeated coronavirus in Punjab, here on Thursday urged people to stay indoors to protect themselves from the infection.

According to a video shared by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Twitter, Kulwant Nirmal of Mohali, a diabetes and hypertension patient, tested positive for coronavirus.

But her will to fight overshadowed everything, and now she is healthy and at home.

She is among the patients in the state who have recovered from the infection. In her video message, she said with folded hands: “Doctors took care of me. Never be afraid of the disease. Follow whatever the government and the doctors are saying.”

“Keep your will power strong. Have courage and do prayers. Waheguru will save you,” the octogenarian said.

Her son Gurminder Singh said he was quarantined in the home along with the other family members when her mother was admitted to a private hospital.

Her mother, a diabetes and hypertension patient for 30 years, was the only coronavirus case in the family, he said.

Harpal Singh, sarpanch of Pathlawa village, as well as seven others from S.B.S. Nagar, tested negative multiple times for COVID-19 and were declared fully cured. Fourteen patients in Punjab have been cured. IANS

Vishav Bharti

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 9

The coronavirus breakout may end Punjab’s wait to get the Clinical Establishment Act as the government is planning to bring an ordinance to end the plunder by private doctors.

The draft of the act has been hanging fire in the state for the past eight years.

According to sources, the state government is planning to bring an ordinance, ‘the Punjab Clinical Establishments (Registration, Regulation & Transparency) Act, 2019’, in the cabinet meeting slated for Friday.

The Chief Minister has announced that it is not acceptable that the way private doctors have shut down the OPDs. He said they would cancel licences of all the clinics and doctors, who have refused to give services in these testing times. The CM also confirmed in a TV interview that the government would bring in the ordinance regarding the act on Saturday.

Interestingly, with a view to regulating the functioning of private hospitals in the country, the Centre had enacted the Clinical Establishment Act, 2010, which was adopted by several states. But instead of adopting the same act, the then Punjab government decided to draft its own act and in 2012 constituted a Clinical Establishment Act Drafting Committee.

However, thanks to the powerful lobby of the private health care practitioners, the draft was never accepted.

After a series of meetings, the committee headed by Dr Rajesh Kumar, former head, School of Public Health, the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, submitted the draft of the bill to the state government in 2013. The draft had important provisions like every private or government hospital has to display the services it offers and will also mention the fee it charges for all the services. Besides, it was also proposed to make it mandatory for all private hospitals to get themselves registered.

However, the draft was neither cleared by the cabinet nor it was taken to the Assembly. The members of the committee had publicly said that the draft of the move regarding the act was scuttled by the lobby of big corporate hospitals.

After formation of the current government in 2017, the then health Minister Braham Mohindra had also announced to implement the act but he also failed to do anything.

In November last year, the state government once again posted draft of the bill on its website and had asked for feedback.  But once again, the powerful body of private doctors was successful in scuttling the move. Soon after that, Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu assured an IMA delegation that all their genuine demands would be incorporated before finalising any decision. But the act could never see the light of day.

 Provisions of the act

* Mandatory for all private hospitals to get themselves registered

* Private or government hospital has to display the services it offers

* Display the fee it charges for all the services

* Every hospital with more than 100 beds to set up Fair Price Medicine Shop and Fair Price Diagnostic Centre

* Free treatment to 20 per cent of Outdoor Patient Department patients and 10 per cent of Indoor Patient Department patients

Singh was a quiet power — driven by institutions and systems, Modi is visible and vocal, powered by his own personality. Both bring unique strengths to tackle coronavirus.

Chandigarh, April 7

In Punjab as family members have been staying away from performing the last rites of suspected or confirmed coronavirus cases, it is government functionaries who have been coming forth and doing rituals religiously.

Out of 79 patients, in seven coronavirus deaths, there were three such instances.

In the latest instance on April 5, the last rites of a woman were performed by officials in Ludhiana city as the family refused to cremate the body fearing transmission of virus.

In another case, the cremation was performed by the revenue staff as the entire family was in quarantine.

In the third incident in Amritsar district last week, people did not allow a place in their village for cremating Nirmal Singh Khalsa, former Hazoori Raagi of the Golden Temple.

“The (last rites) document may be comprehensive but the real trouble lies when nobody, including the sons and daughters as well as staff at the cremation ground, are willing to touch the body,” Special Chief Secretary KBS Sidhu, who is in-charge to monitor state-wide coronavirus cases, informed in a tweet.

“It is here that field revenue agency, with tehsildars and naib tehsildars at the forefront, does the job.”

Stressing the need to recognise and encourage the officers and officials who went above and beyond the call of duty, Sidhu quoted the case of Harbhajan Singh, who died of Covid-19 on March 29 at Moranwali village in Hoshiarpur district.

“His entire family was in isolation ward as they had tested positive. Nobody from the village came forward to assist in performing the last rites,” he said.

Patwari Jagir Singh of Moranwali was assigned the task of arranging the cremation. He performed his duty without any hesitation.

“Jagir Singh, along with many others from his fraternity, is quietly doing their duty in these exceedingly difficult times. They deserve our applause and appreciation,” said Sidhu.

He applauded Hoshiarpur Deputy Commissioner Apneet Riyait for honouring Jagir Singh for his noble gesture.

In the latest case, officials of local administration performed the last rites of Ludhiana resident Surinder Kaur, 69, on April 5 as her family refused to own her body and asked the administration that it was their duty to perform her cremation.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Iqbal Singh Sandhu through a video said the family reached the cremation ground but preferred to remain seated in the car that was parked 100 m away from where the body was consigned to the flames.

He said the entire ritual was performed by Duty Magistrate Jasbir Singh.

Now the district administration would hold her bhog in a local gurdwara on April 11 by pooling money.

Regarding the cremation of former Hazoori Raagi of the Golden Temple, Nirmal Singh Khalsa, paranoid locals of Verka village located on the periphery of Amritsar city protested for hours and even locked the cremation ground gate to prevent the local administration from the cremation, fearing it would spread the coronavirus and endanger lives.

After hours of persuasion, the locals agreed and offered a secluded common land for his last rites that was held late in the evening amid the presence of government functionaries and the son of the deceased.

Condemning the incident, Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal said the state government should have taken steps to ensure the mortal remains of the great ‘ragi’ were not disrespected.

Khalsa’s aunt, son, grandson, his associate and associate’s wife have tested positive for coronavirus after his death.

Terming as unfortunate the delay in Khalsa’s cremation on April 2 due to “unfounded fears”, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said this was because of misinformation and issued directives that no such incident takes place in future.

He said he had asked the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police to ensure proper compliance of the government instructions by all health and other officials at the district level.

“Every deceased person deserv es proper cremation and there is a laid down health protocol on handling the body of a deceased COVID patient. This must be duly followed,” an official statement quoting the Chief Minister said. IANS

Panaji, April 7

British Crown Prince Charles has been “101 per cent” cured of COVID-19 using Ayurveda and Homeopathy treatment, Union Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Naik has insisted, claiming the reason why the Prince’s office may have denied acknowledging the cure, is because England does not formally recognise Ayurveda, as a medical science.

“I am proud that the Ministry which I head, managed to cure such a great man, there is no greater credit than this. He may have some problem (admitting to it) because the system in his country does not give recognition to Ayurveda. He may have felt he would violate rules, which is why his refusal to admit is obvious,” Naik told a local cable news channel in an interview late on Monday.

“I believe 101 per cent, that he has been cured (using Ayurveda and Homeopathy),” Naik also said.

On April 2, Naik had told a press conference in Goa, that Prince Charles had been cured of COVID-19 after seeking treatment from a Bengaluru-based alternative treatment resort, SOUKYA International Holistic Health Centre’ run by a doctor Isaac Mathai.

A day after his statement, Clarence House, the official residence of Prince Charles had said that the claim was incorrect, and that the royal “followed the medical advice of the National Health Service in the UK and nothing more”. The royal had been diagnosed COVID-19 positive last month.

Naik in the cable TV interview on Monday, continued to insist that Ayurveda and Homeopathy had indeed cured the Prince and that it was a “victory” for Indian traditional medicine systems. Naik also said that there was no need to disbelieve the doctor Isaac Mathai, who cured Prince Charles.

“The man (Dr. Mathai) himself is saying this. He is a doctor, an owner of a resort, he is trustworthy, when he says this, it is a victory of our Indian system,” Naik said.

IANS

Our Correspondent
Anantnag, April 7

A CRPF man was killed after militants fired at a patrol party of the force, early Tuesday evening, here in Bijbehara area of Anantnag district.

The slain paratrooper has been identified as Head Constable Shiv Lal.

The firing incident took place near the police station, Bijbehara along the old national highway at around 4:45 pm on Tuesday evening.

“The militants opened fire at a joint patrol party of the police and the CRPF. One CRPF jawan was injured in the firing, who later succumbed to his injuries,” a senior police official from Bijbehara said.

Injured Shiv Lal was immediately rushed to the Sub-District hospital, located near to the site of the attack.

“We gave him first aid and shifted him to the Anantnag Government Medical College Hospital,” a doctor at the hospital said.

In Anantnag, the doctors said, that he was declared brought dead with bullet wounds to his chest.

Following the firing incident, a cache of security forces cordoned off the already deserted Bijbehara market and conducted searches to try and nab the attackers.

The slain CRPF jawan of 116 Bn was deployed for law and order duty in Bijbahara, a spokesman of the force said in Srinagar.