Union Cabinet approves adoption of Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act

NEW DELHI:Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the adoption of the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act, 1989.It also announced bonus for non-gazetted government employeesThe move would help establish all the three tiers of grass roots level democracy like in other parts of the country, said Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar at a Cabinet briefing. “3-tier system was not there in Kashmir before. They did not have the opportunity to elect their local representatives. This step redeems the promise made by the Prime Minister in Kashmir, and the Home Minister in Parliament,” he stated.“Now, there will be early elections, and the power to manage the local bodies will go to people. Locally elected representatives will be able to do district and block level planning, and implement welfare schemes,” he noted.Jammu and Kashmir administration was working on the adaptation of other laws also. “There is a lot of homework to be done, but the principle has been established,” he added.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/union-cabinet-approves-adaptation-of-jammu-and-kashmir-panchayati-raj-act/article32908213.ece?homepage=true

 

India hands over Chinese soldier who crossed LAC

The Chinese soldier  who strayed across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Demchok sector on October 18 has been returned, both India and China confirmed while both sides are preparing to hold another round of senior military commander talks likely later this week. People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldier was handed over to Chinese side at Chushul-Moldo meeting point late on Tuesday, a defence source said.The soldier had been handed over to PLA frontier troops in the early hours on Wednesday (as per Beijing time), the website of the PLA said, citing military media.An official source said both sides are working out dates for the eighth round of Corps Commander talks possibly this week. The last round of talks was held on October 12 at Chushul and a joint statement issued later said both sides held “a sincere, in-depth and constructive exchange of views on disengagement along the Line of Actual Control in the Western Sector of India-China border areas.” However, there has been no movement on disengagement and de-escalation so far.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-hands-over-chinese-soldier-who-crossed-lac/article32906023.ece?homepage=true

 

Resident doctors at AMU hospital demand reinstatement of colleagues

Aligarh :Resident doctors at Aligarh Muslim University’s Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College have demanded reinstatement of their two colleagues amid allegations that they were removed for comments in connection with the case of alleged gang rape and death of a woman in Hathras.The AMU authorities have denied the allegations as “highly speculative” and said the two doctors were engaged “on a temporary one-month vacancy from September 9”.The order ending the contract of the two doctors — Dr Mohamnad Azeemudin and Dr Obaid Imtiaz — was issued by Chief Medical Officer S A Zaidi on Tuesday, a day after the CBI team probing the gang rape and death case visited the hospital.Resident Doctors Association (RDA) has in a letter to the AMU Vice Chancellor urged him to take immediate steps to withdraw the termination order. If the order was not revoked within the next 24 hours, the RDA said it would call a general body meeting of its members and “decide its future course of action”.

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/resident-doctors-at-amu-hospital-demand-reinstatement-of-colleagues-6821353/

 

Pollution linked to 1,16,000 infant deaths in India in 2019: report

Outdoor and household particulate matter pollution contributed to the deaths of more than 1,16,000 Indian infants in their first month of life in 2019, according to State of Global Air 2020 report by the U.S.-based Health Effects Institute.More than half of these deaths were associated with outdoor PM2.5 and others linked to use of solid fuels such as charcoal, wood, and animal dung for cooking.Long-term exposure to outdoor and household air pollution contributed to over 1.67 million annual deaths from stroke, heart attack, diabetes, lung cancer, chronic lung diseases and neonatal diseases in India in 2019.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/pollution-linked-to-116000-infant-deaths-in-india-in-2019-report/article32907489.ece?homepage=true

 

Active cases remain below 7.5-lakh mark

Active cases of COVID-19 in India settled below the 7.5-lakh mark for the second successive day, while the national case fatality rate (CFR) has dropped to 1.51 per cent, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday.Presently 14 states and UTs including Chhattisgarh (0.96 pc), Jharkhand (0.87 pc), Andhra Pradesh (0.82 pc), Telangana (0.57 pc), Bihar (0.49 pc), Assam (0.44 pc), Odisha (0.43 pc) and Kerala (0.34 pc) are reporting case fatality rate of less than 1 per cent.The Centre has advised states and UTs to aim at bring down the CFR below 1 per cent.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/coronavirus-india-october-21-2020-live-updates/article32906327.ece?homepage=true