Archive For The “General” Category
Alipurduar, Oct 28 (IANS/ 101Reporters) A motorcade travels on a dusty road flanked by lush paddy fields towards Chengpara village in the Alipurduar district of West Bengal.
Officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), local police officers and district administration officials disembark from the vehicle.
They scope the area and depart as abruptly as they came.
The villager, Sabita Roy (50), claimed that the officials often intimidate them through such visits ? as was witnessed by 101Reporters.
They want Chengpara's farmers to accept the compensation given by NHAI for their land that was purchased to construct a highway.
Chengpara, a village dominated by the ethnic Rajbanshi community, is among the five mouzas or Panchayats involved in a legal wrangle with NHAI over land acquisition for the highway.
The four other mouzas include Salsalabari, Bhelukdabari, Chaparerpara and Sovaganj.
The NHAI has acquired 170 hectares of land for the extension of a 41 km four-lane highway between Falakata and Salsalabari in the Alipurduar district.
It is a part of the east-west corridor of the Golden Quadrilateral connecting Surat in Gujarat to Silchar in Assam.
It passes through West Bengal's rice, jute, and potato fields.
The highways authority started acquiring land for the Rs 1,030-crore project in January 2019.
However, the farmers have obtained a stay order on the work from the Jalpaiguri circuit bench of the Calcutta High Court.
They claimed they have not received the whole compensation promised by the NHAI.
NHAI has claimed to have disbursed Rs 154 crore ? Rs 1.20 crore for every 0.1 acre ? for 22.14 acres of land.
But farmers claim to have received only 54 crores. Rs 100 crores are unaccounted for.
Compensation does not tally
About 500 farmers who have given up their land said that the compensation received from NHAI does not tally with a list published by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in a Bengali daily in November 2020.
"The land acquisition process by NHAI has been faulty since the beginning," said Niladri Sen, the counsel of farmer Sabita Roy, who is yet to receive Rs 6 lakh approximately from the government.
Sen said that the problem started when the base rate of the acquired land did not match the provisions of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013.
"The affected farmers received an amount lesser than what they should have received.
The compensation that was transferred electronically to the bank accounts of the farmers did not mention what the amount was being paid for," he said, adding: "When we tallied the bank passbooks, we found that the compensation amounts did not tally with the list published by the Central government."
Imposters in the fray
According to the secretary of the Krishi Bastu Sangram Committee, Ratan Roy, several people have been compensated by the government for land that they do not own in any of the mouzas.
Some farmers claimed that "imposters" have bagged the bulk of compensation released by the NHAI.
Such is the case of Sabita Roy whose third tranche of compensation was paid to her impersonator's account in the State Bank of India in Assam's Bongaigaon.
Roy, who has received Rs 11.01 lakh compensation in her bank in Alipurduras in two tranches said that she was awaiting her third payment of more than Rs 6 lakh.
"I have never been to Bangaigaon, let alone open a bank account in the neighbouring state," she said.
"I learned that Rs 5.67 lakh was withdrawn from the said account in Assam by one Sukumar Karmakar, who posed as my father, showing that I was dead."
She said that she was not against giving her land to NHAI, but she expected the government to compensate her fairly.
Roy challenged the disbursement claim made by the ministry by filing a writ petition before the Jalpaiguri circuit bench of the Calcutta High Court on August 5, 2021.
The ministry, however, claimed that Sabita Roy was compensated with Rs 17.72 lakh with the third tranche of her payment amounting to Rs 5.67 lakh reaching her on September 24, 2020.
Sabita Roy lodged a complaint before the Kotwali police station, but to no avail.
She then lodged a written complaint before the Bengal police chief and the Alipurduar district police.
Pinaki Sengupta, the special land acquisition officer and competent authority at the Jalpaiguri district magistrate's office, directed the Kotwali police to investigate allegations of discrepancy in compensation to Sabita Roy.
On September 30, the single bench of the Jalpaiguri bench of the Calcutta High Court directed officials to measure Sabita Roy's land on October 2, 2021, including building and structure, and assess the compensation she is entitled to according to the rules.
Seven others and two farmers groups also filed a writ petition before the Jalpaiguri bench of the Calcutta High Court.
The NHAI pleaded for adjournment, which the court refused and set the next date of hearing on November 29, 2021.
Krishi Bastu Sangram Committee secretary Ratan Roy said that his mother, Binodini Roy, had received an arbitration notification, saying her land was acquired.
But, there were no signs of compensation.
Binodini Roy also filed an individual writ petition before Jalpaiguri circuit bench of the Calcutta High Court.
Allegations of bribery and intimidation
Some farmers claimed they were coerced to give 'kickbacks' between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 5 lakh to the government officials through brokers to receive the compensation.
"I was forced to pay a bribe of Rs 1 lakh to Ratan Mandal ? a technical assistant with the Jalpaiguri land reforms office ? to get Rs 8 lakh compensation," alleged Champarani Sarkar (45) who lost 0.8 acres of land to NHAI's project.
Another farmer Subal Roy said he had to pay a bribe of Rs 5 lakh to the village panchayat head to get compensation for his father's 0.23 acres of land acquired by the NHAI.
The entire compensation package for the five mouzas in Alipurduars Block-II, has been disbursed by the district treasury office, according to Sanjeev Kumar Sharma general manager and project director of NHAI.
"We disbursed Rs 154 crore through the Jalpaiguri district magistrate's land acquisition section," an official, who did not wish to be named, told 101Reporters.
The NHAI has asked aggrieved farmers to contact the special land acquisition officer in Jalpaiguri for matters related to compensation.
"Those who have given their land to NHAI have been compensated as per the arbitral base rates.
Only a handful of people in Chengpara are creating trouble by stalling the work on the project," Sharma said.
(The author is a Siliguri-based freelance journalist and a member of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters.)
--IANS
probir/ksk/.
Source: IANS
Officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), local police officers and district administration officials disembark from the vehicle.
They scope the area and depart as abruptly as they came.
The villager, Sabita Roy (50), claimed that the officials often intimidate them through such visits ? as was witnessed by 101Reporters.
They want Chengpara's farmers to accept the compensation given by NHAI for their land that was purchased to construct a highway.
Chengpara, a village dominated by the ethnic Rajbanshi community, is among the five mouzas or Panchayats involved in a legal wrangle with NHAI over land acquisition for the highway.
The four other mouzas include Salsalabari, Bhelukdabari, Chaparerpara and Sovaganj.
The NHAI has acquired 170 hectares of land for the extension of a 41 km four-lane highway between Falakata and Salsalabari in the Alipurduar district.
It is a part of the east-west corridor of the Golden Quadrilateral connecting Surat in Gujarat to Silchar in Assam.
It passes through West Bengal's rice, jute, and potato fields.
The highways authority started acquiring land for the Rs 1,030-crore project in January 2019.
However, the farmers have obtained a stay order on the work from the Jalpaiguri circuit bench of the Calcutta High Court.
They claimed they have not received the whole compensation promised by the NHAI.
NHAI has claimed to have disbursed Rs 154 crore ? Rs 1.20 crore for every 0.1 acre ? for 22.14 acres of land.
But farmers claim to have received only 54 crores. Rs 100 crores are unaccounted for.
Compensation does not tally
About 500 farmers who have given up their land said that the compensation received from NHAI does not tally with a list published by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in a Bengali daily in November 2020.
"The land acquisition process by NHAI has been faulty since the beginning," said Niladri Sen, the counsel of farmer Sabita Roy, who is yet to receive Rs 6 lakh approximately from the government.
Sen said that the problem started when the base rate of the acquired land did not match the provisions of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013.
"The affected farmers received an amount lesser than what they should have received.
The compensation that was transferred electronically to the bank accounts of the farmers did not mention what the amount was being paid for," he said, adding: "When we tallied the bank passbooks, we found that the compensation amounts did not tally with the list published by the Central government."
Imposters in the fray
According to the secretary of the Krishi Bastu Sangram Committee, Ratan Roy, several people have been compensated by the government for land that they do not own in any of the mouzas.
Some farmers claimed that "imposters" have bagged the bulk of compensation released by the NHAI.
Such is the case of Sabita Roy whose third tranche of compensation was paid to her impersonator's account in the State Bank of India in Assam's Bongaigaon.
Roy, who has received Rs 11.01 lakh compensation in her bank in Alipurduras in two tranches said that she was awaiting her third payment of more than Rs 6 lakh.
"I have never been to Bangaigaon, let alone open a bank account in the neighbouring state," she said.
"I learned that Rs 5.67 lakh was withdrawn from the said account in Assam by one Sukumar Karmakar, who posed as my father, showing that I was dead."
She said that she was not against giving her land to NHAI, but she expected the government to compensate her fairly.
Roy challenged the disbursement claim made by the ministry by filing a writ petition before the Jalpaiguri circuit bench of the Calcutta High Court on August 5, 2021.
The ministry, however, claimed that Sabita Roy was compensated with Rs 17.72 lakh with the third tranche of her payment amounting to Rs 5.67 lakh reaching her on September 24, 2020.
Sabita Roy lodged a complaint before the Kotwali police station, but to no avail.
She then lodged a written complaint before the Bengal police chief and the Alipurduar district police.
Pinaki Sengupta, the special land acquisition officer and competent authority at the Jalpaiguri district magistrate's office, directed the Kotwali police to investigate allegations of discrepancy in compensation to Sabita Roy.
On September 30, the single bench of the Jalpaiguri bench of the Calcutta High Court directed officials to measure Sabita Roy's land on October 2, 2021, including building and structure, and assess the compensation she is entitled to according to the rules.
Seven others and two farmers groups also filed a writ petition before the Jalpaiguri bench of the Calcutta High Court.
The NHAI pleaded for adjournment, which the court refused and set the next date of hearing on November 29, 2021.
Krishi Bastu Sangram Committee secretary Ratan Roy said that his mother, Binodini Roy, had received an arbitration notification, saying her land was acquired.
But, there were no signs of compensation.
Binodini Roy also filed an individual writ petition before Jalpaiguri circuit bench of the Calcutta High Court.
Allegations of bribery and intimidation
Some farmers claimed they were coerced to give 'kickbacks' between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 5 lakh to the government officials through brokers to receive the compensation.
"I was forced to pay a bribe of Rs 1 lakh to Ratan Mandal ? a technical assistant with the Jalpaiguri land reforms office ? to get Rs 8 lakh compensation," alleged Champarani Sarkar (45) who lost 0.8 acres of land to NHAI's project.
Another farmer Subal Roy said he had to pay a bribe of Rs 5 lakh to the village panchayat head to get compensation for his father's 0.23 acres of land acquired by the NHAI.
The entire compensation package for the five mouzas in Alipurduars Block-II, has been disbursed by the district treasury office, according to Sanjeev Kumar Sharma general manager and project director of NHAI.
"We disbursed Rs 154 crore through the Jalpaiguri district magistrate's land acquisition section," an official, who did not wish to be named, told 101Reporters.
The NHAI has asked aggrieved farmers to contact the special land acquisition officer in Jalpaiguri for matters related to compensation.
"Those who have given their land to NHAI have been compensated as per the arbitral base rates.
Only a handful of people in Chengpara are creating trouble by stalling the work on the project," Sharma said.
(The author is a Siliguri-based freelance journalist and a member of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters.)
--IANS
probir/ksk/.
Source: IANS
Lucknow, Oct 28 : The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has transferred 10 IAS officers, including six District Magistrates.
The transfers were announced around midnight on Wednesday.
Alok Singh has been transferred from his present posting of Additional Director SUDA to Lalitpur as District Magistrate, while Chandra Bhushan Tripathi has been named the new District Magistrate of Hamirpur.
Mahendra Bahadur Singh, the District Magistrate of Mainpuri, has been shifted to Lakhimpur Kheri in the same capacity.
Avinash Krishna Singh has been named the new District Magistrate of Mainpuri, while Sheshmani Pandey is the new District Magistrate of Amethi.
Arun Kumar has been posted as the District Magistrate of Mau.
--IANS
amita/ksk/.
Source: IANS
The transfers were announced around midnight on Wednesday.
Alok Singh has been transferred from his present posting of Additional Director SUDA to Lalitpur as District Magistrate, while Chandra Bhushan Tripathi has been named the new District Magistrate of Hamirpur.
Mahendra Bahadur Singh, the District Magistrate of Mainpuri, has been shifted to Lakhimpur Kheri in the same capacity.
Avinash Krishna Singh has been named the new District Magistrate of Mainpuri, while Sheshmani Pandey is the new District Magistrate of Amethi.
Arun Kumar has been posted as the District Magistrate of Mau.
--IANS
amita/ksk/.
Source: IANS
Chennai, Oct 28 : The Tamil Nadu government, which manages the Mullaperiyar dam although it is geographically in Kerala's Idukki district, will open the spillways at 7 a.m.
on Friday.
The Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department has already communicated the same to the Kerala government on Wednesday night as an evacuation in Idukki district is required for the opening of the spillways.
Kerala Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine had earlier requested the Tamil Nadu government to inform the state well in advance so that the evacuation process is smooth.
The spillways of the dam are to be opened following incessant rains in the catchment areas of Mullaperiyar.
The water level in the dam crossed 137.80 ft at 9 p.m.
on Wednesday. The maximum water level in the dam set up by the Central Water Commission (CWC) is 138 ft and the water level is all set to cross this rule curve by Thursday morning.
Tamil Nadu has been drawing 2,300 cusecs of water from the dam and the inflow was 5,800 cusecs on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Kerala has expressed its dissent in Supreme Court on Wednesday after the Mullaperiyar dam supervisory committee had submitted that that there was no need to change the 142 ft water height in the dam which was set by the apex court.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K.
Stalin on Wednesday night wrote a letter to his Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan stating that his state was monitoring the situation of the Mullaperiyar dam and the water flow into it.
Stalin also mentioned that officials of both Kerala and Tamil Nadu are in constant touch with each other and that the situation was under control.
He added that the state was pumping out maximum water from the Mullaperiyar dam through the Vaigai tunnel into Tamil Nadu.
Stalin was responding to a letter sent by the Kerala Chief Minister on Monday that the water level in Mullaperiyar was rising rapidly and requested the Tamil Nadu side to take maximum water through the Vaigai tunnel for the state.
The Mullaperiyar dam constructed in 1895 by British Engineer John Pennycuck is under major discussion between the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
While the Kerala side wants to construct a new dam by deactivating the present one, there were several objections from the Tamil Nadu side.
The UN Research University had recently in a report said that Mullaperiyar dam had outlived its life span and that like several dams that are above 50 years of age, it was also in danger.
The Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu and Kerala along with the water resources ministers of the respective states are slated to meet in Chennai in December regarding the future course of action on Mullaperiyar.
--IANS
aal/ksk/.
Source: IANS
on Friday.
The Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department has already communicated the same to the Kerala government on Wednesday night as an evacuation in Idukki district is required for the opening of the spillways.
Kerala Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine had earlier requested the Tamil Nadu government to inform the state well in advance so that the evacuation process is smooth.
The spillways of the dam are to be opened following incessant rains in the catchment areas of Mullaperiyar.
The water level in the dam crossed 137.80 ft at 9 p.m.
on Wednesday. The maximum water level in the dam set up by the Central Water Commission (CWC) is 138 ft and the water level is all set to cross this rule curve by Thursday morning.
Tamil Nadu has been drawing 2,300 cusecs of water from the dam and the inflow was 5,800 cusecs on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Kerala has expressed its dissent in Supreme Court on Wednesday after the Mullaperiyar dam supervisory committee had submitted that that there was no need to change the 142 ft water height in the dam which was set by the apex court.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K.
Stalin on Wednesday night wrote a letter to his Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan stating that his state was monitoring the situation of the Mullaperiyar dam and the water flow into it.
Stalin also mentioned that officials of both Kerala and Tamil Nadu are in constant touch with each other and that the situation was under control.
He added that the state was pumping out maximum water from the Mullaperiyar dam through the Vaigai tunnel into Tamil Nadu.
Stalin was responding to a letter sent by the Kerala Chief Minister on Monday that the water level in Mullaperiyar was rising rapidly and requested the Tamil Nadu side to take maximum water through the Vaigai tunnel for the state.
The Mullaperiyar dam constructed in 1895 by British Engineer John Pennycuck is under major discussion between the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
While the Kerala side wants to construct a new dam by deactivating the present one, there were several objections from the Tamil Nadu side.
The UN Research University had recently in a report said that Mullaperiyar dam had outlived its life span and that like several dams that are above 50 years of age, it was also in danger.
The Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu and Kerala along with the water resources ministers of the respective states are slated to meet in Chennai in December regarding the future course of action on Mullaperiyar.
--IANS
aal/ksk/.
Source: IANS
Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 28 : One of the tallest figures in the country in cancer treatment, M. Krishnan Nair passed away here on Thursday, family sources said. he was 81.
Nair's last rites will be held in the state capital, later in the day.
He is credited for starting the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) in the state capital and went on to be its first director, a post he held for numerous years, before retiring.
RCC began as a department of the state-run Thiruvananthapuram Medical College and later became an autonomous institution which provided succour to numerous suffering cancer patients in the state and continues the work of Nair.
Nair was awarded the Padma Shri for his services to the nation in cancer treatment and was an advisor to the World Health Organization on the same topic.
--IANS
sg/svn/ksk/.
Source: IANS
Nair's last rites will be held in the state capital, later in the day.
He is credited for starting the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) in the state capital and went on to be its first director, a post he held for numerous years, before retiring.
RCC began as a department of the state-run Thiruvananthapuram Medical College and later became an autonomous institution which provided succour to numerous suffering cancer patients in the state and continues the work of Nair.
Nair was awarded the Padma Shri for his services to the nation in cancer treatment and was an advisor to the World Health Organization on the same topic.
--IANS
sg/svn/ksk/.
Source: IANS
New Delhi, Oct 28 : The 2021 Antarctic ozone hole reached its maximum area on October 7 and is now the 13th largest since 1979, scientists from NOAA and NASA have reported.
This year's ozone hole developed similarly to last year's: A colder than usual Southern Hemisphere winter led to a deep and larger-than-average hole that will likely persist into November or early December.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the NASA are the agencies that have tracked ozen hole over the decades.
"This is a large ozone hole because of the colder than average 2021 stratospheric conditions, and without a Montreal Protocol, it would have been much larger," chief scientist for Earth Sciences at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Paul Newman said.
What we call the ozone hole is a thinning of the protective ozone layer in the stratosphere (the upper layer of Earth's atmosphere) above Antarctica that begins every September.
Chlorine and bromine derived from human-produced compounds are released from reactions on high-altitude polar clouds.
The chemical reactions then begin to destroy the ozone layer as the sun rises in the Antarctic at the end of winter.
NOAA and NASA researchers detect and measure the growth and break up of the ozone hole with satellite instruments aboard Aura, Suomi-NPP and NOAA-20 satellites, the NOAA said in a release late on Wednesday.
This year, NASA satellite observations determined the ozone hole reached a maximum of 24.8 million square km roughly the size of North America, before beginning to shrink in mid-October.
Colder-than-average temperatures and strong winds in the stratosphere circling Antarctica contributed to the hole's size.
NOAA scientists at the South Pole Station record the ozone layer's thickness by releasing weather balloons carrying ozone-measuring instruments called ozonesondes that measure the varying ozone concentrations as the balloon rises into the stratosphere.
When the polar sun rises, NOAA scientists also make measurements with a Dobson Spectropherometer, an optical instrument that records the total amount of ozone between the surface and the edge of space known as the total column ozone value.
This year, scientists recorded the lowest total-column ozone value of 102 Dobson Units on October 7, the eighth lowest since 1986.
At altitudes between 14 to 21 km, ozone was nearly completely absent during the ozone hole's maximum size.
Though the 2021 Antarctic ozone hole is larger than average, it's substantially smaller than ozone holes measured during the late 1990s and early 2000s.
The ozone hole is recovering due to the Montreal Protocol and subsequent amendments banning the release of harmful ozone-depleting chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons.
If atmospheric chlorine levels from CFCs were as high today as they were in the early 2000s, this year's ozone hole would likely have been larger by about 4 million square km under the same weather conditions.
--IANS
niv/svn/ksk/.
Source: IANS
This year's ozone hole developed similarly to last year's: A colder than usual Southern Hemisphere winter led to a deep and larger-than-average hole that will likely persist into November or early December.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the NASA are the agencies that have tracked ozen hole over the decades.
"This is a large ozone hole because of the colder than average 2021 stratospheric conditions, and without a Montreal Protocol, it would have been much larger," chief scientist for Earth Sciences at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Paul Newman said.
What we call the ozone hole is a thinning of the protective ozone layer in the stratosphere (the upper layer of Earth's atmosphere) above Antarctica that begins every September.
Chlorine and bromine derived from human-produced compounds are released from reactions on high-altitude polar clouds.
The chemical reactions then begin to destroy the ozone layer as the sun rises in the Antarctic at the end of winter.
NOAA and NASA researchers detect and measure the growth and break up of the ozone hole with satellite instruments aboard Aura, Suomi-NPP and NOAA-20 satellites, the NOAA said in a release late on Wednesday.
This year, NASA satellite observations determined the ozone hole reached a maximum of 24.8 million square km roughly the size of North America, before beginning to shrink in mid-October.
Colder-than-average temperatures and strong winds in the stratosphere circling Antarctica contributed to the hole's size.
NOAA scientists at the South Pole Station record the ozone layer's thickness by releasing weather balloons carrying ozone-measuring instruments called ozonesondes that measure the varying ozone concentrations as the balloon rises into the stratosphere.
When the polar sun rises, NOAA scientists also make measurements with a Dobson Spectropherometer, an optical instrument that records the total amount of ozone between the surface and the edge of space known as the total column ozone value.
This year, scientists recorded the lowest total-column ozone value of 102 Dobson Units on October 7, the eighth lowest since 1986.
At altitudes between 14 to 21 km, ozone was nearly completely absent during the ozone hole's maximum size.
Though the 2021 Antarctic ozone hole is larger than average, it's substantially smaller than ozone holes measured during the late 1990s and early 2000s.
The ozone hole is recovering due to the Montreal Protocol and subsequent amendments banning the release of harmful ozone-depleting chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons.
If atmospheric chlorine levels from CFCs were as high today as they were in the early 2000s, this year's ozone hole would likely have been larger by about 4 million square km under the same weather conditions.
--IANS
niv/svn/ksk/.
Source: IANS
Srinagar, Oct 27 : Doing proud to the willow bat industry in J (and) K, Kashmir-made bats have made it to the ICC T20 World Cup.
Some players of the Oman cricket team used Kashmiri bats in their T20 World Cup fixture.
Although the local bat industry has been there for decades, this is the first time that any international player has used a Kashmir made willow bat.
Fawzal Kabeer, an MBA graduate from the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST) Awantipora, in Anantnag district said the bats used by the Oman cricket team were manufactured at his factory and that he had to do a lot of hard work to realise his dream.
These bats are manufactured under the brand label GR8 Sports, the industrial unit located in Halmulla Sangam area of Anantnag.
Kabeer, who owns the GR8 Sports firm from his late father, said the manufacturing unit was founded in 1974.
"To begin with, we prepared only the raw material which was then shipped to Jalandhar, Meerut, and other places, where the bats were manufactured and sold under the brand names of the firms who manufactured the fine product.
"This was not a profitable venture, besides the local bar industry remained in oblivion that way.
"We started producing the finished bats at our unit.
"Till then the bat of Kashmir had no recognition, as we were lacking the knowledge about how to take our bat to international level.
We had no expertise and technique due to which Kashmir willow bats were being sold unbranded.
"To get our brand recognised, we followed all the rules framed by the International Cricket Council and managed to find some craftsmen whom we recruited into our firm.
"In addition to this, we held discussions with professional craftsmen on how to ensure a unique style of bat making in this industry", he said.
Mohammad Naseem Khushi and Bilal Khan of Oman cricket team have played International fixtures with the bats produced by GR8 Sports.
According to Kabeer, Kashmir willow is a 'male variant' of bat wood which has the strength to bear things in a unique way unlike the English willow which is a female variant'.
There are more than 300 bat manufacturing units in south Kashmir Anantnag district.
The international recognition earned by GR8 Sports is an inspiration for all of them to make World quality cricket bats that can compete with the best in the market.
--IANS
amita/dpb.
Source: IANS
Some players of the Oman cricket team used Kashmiri bats in their T20 World Cup fixture.
Although the local bat industry has been there for decades, this is the first time that any international player has used a Kashmir made willow bat.
Fawzal Kabeer, an MBA graduate from the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST) Awantipora, in Anantnag district said the bats used by the Oman cricket team were manufactured at his factory and that he had to do a lot of hard work to realise his dream.
These bats are manufactured under the brand label GR8 Sports, the industrial unit located in Halmulla Sangam area of Anantnag.
Kabeer, who owns the GR8 Sports firm from his late father, said the manufacturing unit was founded in 1974.
"To begin with, we prepared only the raw material which was then shipped to Jalandhar, Meerut, and other places, where the bats were manufactured and sold under the brand names of the firms who manufactured the fine product.
"This was not a profitable venture, besides the local bar industry remained in oblivion that way.
"We started producing the finished bats at our unit.
"Till then the bat of Kashmir had no recognition, as we were lacking the knowledge about how to take our bat to international level.
We had no expertise and technique due to which Kashmir willow bats were being sold unbranded.
"To get our brand recognised, we followed all the rules framed by the International Cricket Council and managed to find some craftsmen whom we recruited into our firm.
"In addition to this, we held discussions with professional craftsmen on how to ensure a unique style of bat making in this industry", he said.
Mohammad Naseem Khushi and Bilal Khan of Oman cricket team have played International fixtures with the bats produced by GR8 Sports.
According to Kabeer, Kashmir willow is a 'male variant' of bat wood which has the strength to bear things in a unique way unlike the English willow which is a female variant'.
There are more than 300 bat manufacturing units in south Kashmir Anantnag district.
The international recognition earned by GR8 Sports is an inspiration for all of them to make World quality cricket bats that can compete with the best in the market.
--IANS
amita/dpb.
Source: IANS
Kolkata, Oct 27 : Expressing concern over the rising cases of Covid-19 in West Bengal, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has written to the West Bengal Health department to increase testing and take immediate steps to control the spread of the disease.
In a letter written to the State Health Secretary N S Nigam, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said, "West Bengal has reported 20,936 new cases and 343 new deaths in the last 30 days, accounting to 3.4% of India's new cases and 4.7% of new deaths in last 30 days".
"Although there has been a significant decline in the average daily new cases (15,092 in the week ending October 22 at the national level), certain districts in the country have started to show a concerning trend in daily new cases and positivity rate," he added.
Speaking on the worrying condition in Kolkata, the Union Secretary wrote, "One of the primary districts of concern is Kolkata.
The district has reported high quantum of average daily new cases in the week ending 21 October along with more than 25% increase over the past week (from 217 cases in the week ending October 14 to 272 cases in the week ending October 21)".
Expressing concern over the rising trends in the city, Bhushan wrote, "The district has also reported almost 27 per cent increase in positivity rate in the past week (from 5.6 per cent in the week ending October 14 to 7.1 per cent in the week ending October 21.
The weekly testing trends in this district have also decreased. This calls for more proactive action on the testing front.
The union ministry also warned the state government about not following the basic health strategy in several districts in the state.
"It has been observed that cases surge exponentially in instances where basic public health strategy (Testing, Tracking.
Treatment, COVID appropriate behaviour and Vaccination) is not followed rigorously. The increasing daily new cases, if left unchecked may lead to a situation where there is severe strain on the health infrastructure and health workforce," he added.
The ministry asked the state to maintain the basic precautions strictly particularly in the festive season during which the chances of spreading of the disease are more likely.
"With the ongoing festive season, it is crucial to emphasise the importance of COVID safe festivities in order to maintain the collective gains made in the battle against this pandemic so far.
The State must ensure strict adherence to COVID appropriate behaviour and focus on second dose coverage of all eligible beneficiaries," Bhushan said.
"Regular review of COVID-19 cases and deaths must also be undertaken, and necessary corrective measures should be promptly communicated to the field teams.
Lastly, it should also be ensured that the district maintains consistency in data updation in the Covid-19 portal," he added.
--IANS
sbg/svn/bg.
Source: IANS
In a letter written to the State Health Secretary N S Nigam, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said, "West Bengal has reported 20,936 new cases and 343 new deaths in the last 30 days, accounting to 3.4% of India's new cases and 4.7% of new deaths in last 30 days".
"Although there has been a significant decline in the average daily new cases (15,092 in the week ending October 22 at the national level), certain districts in the country have started to show a concerning trend in daily new cases and positivity rate," he added.
Speaking on the worrying condition in Kolkata, the Union Secretary wrote, "One of the primary districts of concern is Kolkata.
The district has reported high quantum of average daily new cases in the week ending 21 October along with more than 25% increase over the past week (from 217 cases in the week ending October 14 to 272 cases in the week ending October 21)".
Expressing concern over the rising trends in the city, Bhushan wrote, "The district has also reported almost 27 per cent increase in positivity rate in the past week (from 5.6 per cent in the week ending October 14 to 7.1 per cent in the week ending October 21.
The weekly testing trends in this district have also decreased. This calls for more proactive action on the testing front.
The union ministry also warned the state government about not following the basic health strategy in several districts in the state.
"It has been observed that cases surge exponentially in instances where basic public health strategy (Testing, Tracking.
Treatment, COVID appropriate behaviour and Vaccination) is not followed rigorously. The increasing daily new cases, if left unchecked may lead to a situation where there is severe strain on the health infrastructure and health workforce," he added.
The ministry asked the state to maintain the basic precautions strictly particularly in the festive season during which the chances of spreading of the disease are more likely.
"With the ongoing festive season, it is crucial to emphasise the importance of COVID safe festivities in order to maintain the collective gains made in the battle against this pandemic so far.
The State must ensure strict adherence to COVID appropriate behaviour and focus on second dose coverage of all eligible beneficiaries," Bhushan said.
"Regular review of COVID-19 cases and deaths must also be undertaken, and necessary corrective measures should be promptly communicated to the field teams.
Lastly, it should also be ensured that the district maintains consistency in data updation in the Covid-19 portal," he added.
--IANS
sbg/svn/bg.
Source: IANS
Kolkata, Oct 27 : Expressing concern over the rising cases of Covid-19 in West Bengal, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has written to the West Bengal Health department to increase testing and take immediate steps to control the spread of the disease.
In a letter written to the State Health Secretary N S Nigam, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said, "West Bengal has reported 20,936 new cases and 343 new deaths in the last 30 days, accounting to 3.4% of India's new cases and 4.7% of new deaths in last 30 days".
"Although there has been a significant decline in the average daily new cases (15,092 in the week ending October 22 at the national level), certain districts in the country have started to show a concerning trend in daily new cases and positivity rate," he added.
Speaking on the worrying condition in Kolkata, the Union Secretary wrote, "One of the primary districts of concern is Kolkata.
The district has reported high quantum of average daily new cases in the week ending 21 October along with more than 25% increase over the past week (from 217 cases in the week ending October 14 to 272 cases in the week ending October 21)".
Expressing concern over the rising trends in the city, Bhushan wrote, "The district has also reported almost 27 per cent increase in positivity rate in the past week (from 5.6 per cent in the week ending October 14 to 7.1 per cent in the week ending October 21.
The weekly testing trends in this district have also decreased. This calls for more proactive action on the testing front.
The union ministry also warned the state government about not following the basic health strategy in several districts in the state.
"It has been observed that cases surge exponentially in instances where basic public health strategy (Testing, Tracking.
Treatment, COVID appropriate behaviour and Vaccination) is not followed rigorously. The increasing daily new cases, if left unchecked may lead to a situation where there is severe strain on the health infrastructure and health workforce," he added.
The ministry asked the state to maintain the basic precautions strictly particularly in the festive season during which the chances of spreading of the disease are more likely.
"With the ongoing festive season, it is crucial to emphasise the importance of COVID safe festivities in order to maintain the collective gains made in the battle against this pandemic so far.
The State must ensure strict adherence to COVID appropriate behaviour and focus on second dose coverage of all eligible beneficiaries," Bhushan said.
"Regular review of COVID-19 cases and deaths must also be undertaken, and necessary corrective measures should be promptly communicated to the field teams.
Lastly, it should also be ensured that the district maintains consistency in data updation in the Covid-19 portal," he added.
--IANS
sbg/svn/bg.
Source: IANS
In a letter written to the State Health Secretary N S Nigam, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said, "West Bengal has reported 20,936 new cases and 343 new deaths in the last 30 days, accounting to 3.4% of India's new cases and 4.7% of new deaths in last 30 days".
"Although there has been a significant decline in the average daily new cases (15,092 in the week ending October 22 at the national level), certain districts in the country have started to show a concerning trend in daily new cases and positivity rate," he added.
Speaking on the worrying condition in Kolkata, the Union Secretary wrote, "One of the primary districts of concern is Kolkata.
The district has reported high quantum of average daily new cases in the week ending 21 October along with more than 25% increase over the past week (from 217 cases in the week ending October 14 to 272 cases in the week ending October 21)".
Expressing concern over the rising trends in the city, Bhushan wrote, "The district has also reported almost 27 per cent increase in positivity rate in the past week (from 5.6 per cent in the week ending October 14 to 7.1 per cent in the week ending October 21.
The weekly testing trends in this district have also decreased. This calls for more proactive action on the testing front.
The union ministry also warned the state government about not following the basic health strategy in several districts in the state.
"It has been observed that cases surge exponentially in instances where basic public health strategy (Testing, Tracking.
Treatment, COVID appropriate behaviour and Vaccination) is not followed rigorously. The increasing daily new cases, if left unchecked may lead to a situation where there is severe strain on the health infrastructure and health workforce," he added.
The ministry asked the state to maintain the basic precautions strictly particularly in the festive season during which the chances of spreading of the disease are more likely.
"With the ongoing festive season, it is crucial to emphasise the importance of COVID safe festivities in order to maintain the collective gains made in the battle against this pandemic so far.
The State must ensure strict adherence to COVID appropriate behaviour and focus on second dose coverage of all eligible beneficiaries," Bhushan said.
"Regular review of COVID-19 cases and deaths must also be undertaken, and necessary corrective measures should be promptly communicated to the field teams.
Lastly, it should also be ensured that the district maintains consistency in data updation in the Covid-19 portal," he added.
--IANS
sbg/svn/bg.
Source: IANS
Kolkata, Oct 27 : Expressing concern over the rising cases of Covid-19 in West Bengal, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has written to the West Bengal Health department to increase testing and take immediate steps to control the spread of the disease.
In a letter written to the State Health Secretary N S Nigam, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said, "West Bengal has reported 20,936 new cases and 343 new deaths in the last 30 days, accounting to 3.4% of India's new cases and 4.7% of new deaths in last 30 days".
"Although there has been a significant decline in the average daily new cases (15,092 in the week ending October 22 at the national level), certain districts in the country have started to show a concerning trend in daily new cases and positivity rate," he added.
Speaking on the worrying condition in Kolkata, the Union Secretary wrote, "One of the primary districts of concern is Kolkata.
The district has reported high quantum of average daily new cases in the week ending 21 October along with more than 25% increase over the past week (from 217 cases in the week ending October 14 to 272 cases in the week ending October 21)".
Expressing concern over the rising trends in the city, Bhushan wrote, "The district has also reported almost 27 per cent increase in positivity rate in the past week (from 5.6 per cent in the week ending October 14 to 7.1 per cent in the week ending October 21.
The weekly testing trends in this district have also decreased. This calls for more proactive action on the testing front.
The union ministry also warned the state government about not following the basic health strategy in several districts in the state.
"It has been observed that cases surge exponentially in instances where basic public health strategy (Testing, Tracking.
Treatment, COVID appropriate behaviour and Vaccination) is not followed rigorously. The increasing daily new cases, if left unchecked may lead to a situation where there is severe strain on the health infrastructure and health workforce," he added.
The ministry asked the state to maintain the basic precautions strictly particularly in the festive season during which the chances of spreading of the disease are more likely.
"With the ongoing festive season, it is crucial to emphasise the importance of COVID safe festivities in order to maintain the collective gains made in the battle against this pandemic so far.
The State must ensure strict adherence to COVID appropriate behaviour and focus on second dose coverage of all eligible beneficiaries," Bhushan said.
"Regular review of COVID-19 cases and deaths must also be undertaken, and necessary corrective measures should be promptly communicated to the field teams.
Lastly, it should also be ensured that the district maintains consistency in data updation in the Covid-19 portal," he added.
--IANS
sbg/svn/bg.
Source: IANS
In a letter written to the State Health Secretary N S Nigam, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said, "West Bengal has reported 20,936 new cases and 343 new deaths in the last 30 days, accounting to 3.4% of India's new cases and 4.7% of new deaths in last 30 days".
"Although there has been a significant decline in the average daily new cases (15,092 in the week ending October 22 at the national level), certain districts in the country have started to show a concerning trend in daily new cases and positivity rate," he added.
Speaking on the worrying condition in Kolkata, the Union Secretary wrote, "One of the primary districts of concern is Kolkata.
The district has reported high quantum of average daily new cases in the week ending 21 October along with more than 25% increase over the past week (from 217 cases in the week ending October 14 to 272 cases in the week ending October 21)".
Expressing concern over the rising trends in the city, Bhushan wrote, "The district has also reported almost 27 per cent increase in positivity rate in the past week (from 5.6 per cent in the week ending October 14 to 7.1 per cent in the week ending October 21.
The weekly testing trends in this district have also decreased. This calls for more proactive action on the testing front.
The union ministry also warned the state government about not following the basic health strategy in several districts in the state.
"It has been observed that cases surge exponentially in instances where basic public health strategy (Testing, Tracking.
Treatment, COVID appropriate behaviour and Vaccination) is not followed rigorously. The increasing daily new cases, if left unchecked may lead to a situation where there is severe strain on the health infrastructure and health workforce," he added.
The ministry asked the state to maintain the basic precautions strictly particularly in the festive season during which the chances of spreading of the disease are more likely.
"With the ongoing festive season, it is crucial to emphasise the importance of COVID safe festivities in order to maintain the collective gains made in the battle against this pandemic so far.
The State must ensure strict adherence to COVID appropriate behaviour and focus on second dose coverage of all eligible beneficiaries," Bhushan said.
"Regular review of COVID-19 cases and deaths must also be undertaken, and necessary corrective measures should be promptly communicated to the field teams.
Lastly, it should also be ensured that the district maintains consistency in data updation in the Covid-19 portal," he added.
--IANS
sbg/svn/bg.
Source: IANS
Chennai, Oct 27 : The Tamil Nadu health department will be conducting a door-to-door campaign on vaccine awareness, aimed at reducing the vaccine hesitancy of several sections of the population, especially in rural areas of the state.
Tamil Nadu Health Secretary J.
Radhakrishnan, while speaking to media persons, said that the health workers would use population data to prepare a list of people who have not taken the vaccine, either the first dose or both the doses.
The health department has directed urban and village nurses, who deliver medicines to the people at their doorstep under the 'Amakkalai Thedi Maruthavum Scheme', to make a list of people who have not been vaccinated.
The department in its analysis has found that as of Tuesday, 31 per cent of people in the state have not yet taken even a single dose of vaccine while only 29 per cent have taken both doses.
The national average of the first dose is above 75 per cent and Tamil Nadu is lagging behind in this.
The health department has formulated new plans to somehow vaccinate the population who are yet to take the jab.
A study by the department has found that there were discrepancies among districts regarding vaccination -- like Chennai, Kancheepuram, Coimbatore, Nilgiris, and Tiruppur have nearly 80 per cent vaccine coverage for the first dose which is above the national average but districts like Tiruppatur, Vellore, Myladuthurai and Ranipet have less than 60 per cent of adults who have taken the first dose of the vaccine.
The senior citizens of the state lagged behind in vaccine coverage and until Tuesday, according to the department, only 47 per cent of the 1.04 crore senior citizens have taken their first dose of the vaccine, while 23 per cent have taken both the doses.
A study by the department has found that two doses of Covid-19 vaccine have reduced the possibilities and risk of hospitalisation due to the pandemic, admissions to ICUs and even deaths.
The Health Secretary has also directed all District Collectors to identify the specific areas in each district where there is reduced vaccine coverage.
--IANS
aal/svn/bg.
Source: IANS
Tamil Nadu Health Secretary J.
Radhakrishnan, while speaking to media persons, said that the health workers would use population data to prepare a list of people who have not taken the vaccine, either the first dose or both the doses.
The health department has directed urban and village nurses, who deliver medicines to the people at their doorstep under the 'Amakkalai Thedi Maruthavum Scheme', to make a list of people who have not been vaccinated.
The department in its analysis has found that as of Tuesday, 31 per cent of people in the state have not yet taken even a single dose of vaccine while only 29 per cent have taken both doses.
The national average of the first dose is above 75 per cent and Tamil Nadu is lagging behind in this.
The health department has formulated new plans to somehow vaccinate the population who are yet to take the jab.
A study by the department has found that there were discrepancies among districts regarding vaccination -- like Chennai, Kancheepuram, Coimbatore, Nilgiris, and Tiruppur have nearly 80 per cent vaccine coverage for the first dose which is above the national average but districts like Tiruppatur, Vellore, Myladuthurai and Ranipet have less than 60 per cent of adults who have taken the first dose of the vaccine.
The senior citizens of the state lagged behind in vaccine coverage and until Tuesday, according to the department, only 47 per cent of the 1.04 crore senior citizens have taken their first dose of the vaccine, while 23 per cent have taken both the doses.
A study by the department has found that two doses of Covid-19 vaccine have reduced the possibilities and risk of hospitalisation due to the pandemic, admissions to ICUs and even deaths.
The Health Secretary has also directed all District Collectors to identify the specific areas in each district where there is reduced vaccine coverage.
--IANS
aal/svn/bg.
Source: IANS