It’s been a terrible two years for the tourism sector in Jammu and Kashmir—already hit by militancy, then the political upheaval in 2019 and now the Covid pandemic. In March 2021, tourist arrivals had picked up to 125,000 from about 19,000 in January. But the spurt in advance bookings and inquiries came to a grinding halt by mid-April as the second wave of Covid-19 hit the country. Tourism accounts for close to 7 per cent of J&K’s GSDP, with more than a third of the Union territory’s 12 million population…
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People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration: Done, Dead, and Dusted
Ishfaq-ul-Hassan Last week, National Conference (NC) sent feelers to end the boycott of the Centre’s delimitation commission. It marked a significant shift in the NC’s policy post-August 5, 2019 when the Centre abrogated Article 370 and downgraded Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories. Under Reorganization Act, 2019, the Union Territory of J&K will have an Assembly while Ladakh will not. Under the Act, the number of seats in the J&K Assembly would be increased from 107 to 114 after delimitation. According to the Delimitation Commission Act, 2002, the Delimitation…
Read MoreRollback 2019 decision on Kashmir for better Pakistan-India ties: Imran Khan
Relations between Pakistan and India cannot be normalised till New Delhi rolls back its decision of August 2019 to scrap the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Wednesday. Addressing a joint press interaction with Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon in Islamabad, Khan said the full potential of the region can be achieved only if the situation in Afghanistan stabilises and there are better ties between Pakistan and India. Following back-channel contacts facilitated by countries such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia, the…
Read MoreWith 24 deaths & 1718 fresh cases, the COVID graph continues to show a downward trend in J&K
The Covid-19 attributed deaths and positive cases are continuing to show a downward trend for the last one week, with Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday reporting 24 fatalities and 1718 new cases. Two fresh cases of Mucormycosis (black fungus) were also confirmed. As per the details shared by the health department, 2 new confirmed cases of mucormycosis have been reported today, bringing the cumulative number of confirmed cases to 12 in J&K. The positivity rate is also showing a dip, on Wednesday out of 45753 tests conducted, 1718 positive cases…
Read MoreBJP Councillor Rakesh Pandita shot dead, Woman Injured In Tral
Suspected militants on Wednesday shot dead a BJP leader and Municipal Councillor while a woman was injured in Tral area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, official sources said, They said that gunmen fired upon the BJP councilor Rakesh Pandita son of Somnath Bala from Tral Bala-C in the area, leaving him dead on the spot.“Late in the evening, 3 unidentified (militants) fired upon Municipal Councillor, town Tral Rakesh Pandita of Tral Bala who was visiting his friend at Tral Payeen. Pandita succumbed to injuries whereas daughter of his friend is…
Read MoreOur mental health worst hit by coronavirus second wave: Dr. Arshid Hussain
Kashmir has been at a precipice for a long time due to the conflict and prevalent socio-economic factors. The Pandemic added to this and the fresh loss of family members and livelihoods has pushed many people to the brink. While talking to a professor of psychiatry at GMC Srinagar, Dr. Arshid Hussain about COVID19, its impact on mental health, and the recent suicides reported in the media. Q: Has depression conquered Kashmir along with the virus?A: No, Depression has not conquered us but our resilience and coping mechanisms have been…
Read MoreTough times ahead for learning
Mir Mohmmad Gulzar The preceding year witnessed devastating effects of Coronavirus and all sectors of the economy were affected. Among other sectors, education systems around the world were severely hit. The schools were closed in March—2020 and remained closed throughout the year. This year the new wave began with a surge in late March in the COVID-19 pandemic at an alarming speed. The number of cases rises with every passing day and the number of cases reported in the last six weeks showed 20 fold increase. The second wave of…
Read MoreHow to manage kids during the pandemic
Dr. Sana Salim Khan I get a lot of queries from parents with different scenarios where Covid is concerned. Today, I would be talking about the different case scenarios concerning children. Here is how to manage Covid under different situations at your home: If both the mother and child are Covid positive, it is advisable that they should be allowed to stay together unless the mother is hospitalized or too sick. Children should not be sent to stay with other members of the family such as grandparents.For infant children, it…
Read MoreUNGA Chief Volkan Bozkir ‘Saddened’ by India’s reactions to his Kashmir Statements
General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir is ‘saddened by India’s reaction to his statements on Kashmir, according to his Deputy Spokesperson Amy Quantrill, who has asserted that they were taken out of context. She said at a news briefing on Tuesday, “The President was saddened to see a press statement from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, which portrays his remarks on Jammu and Kashmir from a selective perspective, while they are consistent with the longstanding UN position regarding this issue.” She added, “It is regrettable that the President’s remarks were…
Read MoreAbrogation of Article 370 & Coronavirus lockdown cost Kashmir Rs 45000 Cr business losses
Kashmir economy has borne the brunt of three back-to-back lockdowns since the abrogation of article 370 in August 2019 resulting in the loss of a whopping Rs 45000 Crore. The month-long lockdown from April 230 to May 30 this year has registered a loss of Rs 5000 crore alone, reveal figures worked out by the trade bodies of Valley. According to the Kashmir Chamber and Commerce Industries president Sheikh Ashiq Hussain, Kashmir economy suffered a loss of around Rs 17,878 crore in first four months of restrictions and shutdown in…
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