• Kashmir after 370

1. Exclusion of Punjabi from Official Languages Bill sheer injustice: APSCC

Key points:

1. All Party Sikh Coordination Committee (APSCC) on Saturday threatened to launch an agitation if government of India does not review its “discriminatory move” and include Punjabi in the J&K Official Languages Bill.
2. The exclusion of Punjabi language is sheer injustice with us. Punjabi language was the recognized language in erstwhile constitution of J&K.
3. The fact is that Punjabi is being taught in Schools, Colleges and Universities across J&K.
4. J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages has a full-fledged Punjabi section with the Academy publishing the magazine in this language as well.

(Greater Kashmir, 6 September 2020) News Link

• Govt announces 3rd phase of ‘Back to Village’ programme from October 2 to 12 in J&K

Key points:

1. The announcement was made by Principal Secretary, Power Development and Information Departments, Rohit Kansal who is also government spokesperson, at a press conference in Srinagar yesterday.
2. Terming the first two phases of Back to Village (B2V) as huge success, Mr Kansal said it is a unique programme which received tremendous respect from the people when 4000 Gazetted Officers from J&K administration visited each and every Panchayat of J&K.
3. The Phase-I of B2V was an introductory and interactive programme to understand the people’s grievances and demands. While Phase-II focused on the devolution of powers to panchayats and tried to understand how these panchayats are functioning and what are the grievances and demands,” he said and added “the Phase-III has been designed on the format for grievance redressal.”
4. He said that next month will be a festival of public grievance redressal, festival of public service delivery and festival of delivery of development at gram Panchayat level.

(News on Air, 6 September 2020) News Link

• National education Policy 2020

1. National Education Policy 2020 will empower youth’, says Prakash Javadekar

Key points:

1. Union minister Prakash Javadekar on Saturday termed the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 as a revolutionary reform of the 21st Century. He also expressed confidence that India’s Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) would double in the next 10 years from the current level of about 25 per cent
2. The NEP 2020 will empower the youth, who will take the nation forward in the 21st century. The policy is such that it will make the teaching learning experience enjoyable for students and teachers,” the Information and Broadcasting Minister said while delivering the key-note address at the centenary year of Teachers’ Day celebrations of Parle Tilak Vidyalay Association.

(New Indian Express, 6 September 2020) News Link

• Measures taken by Tamil Nadu

1. Tamil Nadu announces package rates for state govt staff to avail COVID-19 treatment in private hospitals

Key points:

1. Tamil Nadu Health Department has announced the package rates for the state government staff and pensioners to avail Covid-19 treatment in private hospitals. Its order says the beneficiaries can get themselves admitted in empanelled hospitals for the purpose.
2. If they are allowed in un-empanelled private hospitals, the insurance agency that administers the health insurance programme will make the permissible amount only to the hospital, as mentioned in the order.
3. In another order, hotels and restaurants are permitted to run air conditioners subject to the safety protocols.

(News on Air, 6 September 2020) News Link

• Measures taken by Maharashtra

1. Maha CM directs officials to prioritise contact tracing to curb Covid-19 cases

Key points:

1. Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray in a review meeting with Mumbai civic body top officials directed to prioritise contact tracing and use other methods to prevent a further rise in Covid-19 cases in metropolis.
2. Meanwhile, to prevent deaths due to corona across Maharashtra, the state health department is mulling over the expansion of its TeleICU project.
3. Maharashtra CM Thackeray directed the city administration to increase testing and asked officials to refrain from attributing the rise in cases to the same. Thackeray also ordered buildings with more than 10 cases to be sealed.
4. The CM urged the civic body to take measures to help boost public confidence in the BMC’s Covid care centres. He reiterated that patients above 50 years who have no comorbidities should be quarantined at home.

(News on Air, 6 September 2020) News Link

• Measures taken by Centre

1. J&K: DC Ganderbal reviews progress of Rapid Antigen test campaign in district

Key points:

1. In Jammu and Kashmir, Deputy Commissioner Ganderbal, Shafqat Iqbal today chaired a meeting of the Health Department to review the progress of Rapid Antigen test (RAT) campaign which was recently initiated by the District Administration in red zones.
2. RAT campaign was started in view of a surge in positive cases in the last few days in the district.

(News on Air, 6 September 2020) News Link

• Health Ministry rushes Central teams to Punjab and Chandigarh to be stationed for 10 days

Key points:

1. In Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has decided to deploy Central teams to Punjab and UT of Chandigarh.
2. The high level teams will assist the State/UT in strengthening public health measures for containment, surveillance, testing and efficient clinical management of COVID patients with the aim to reduce mortality and save lives. They shall also guide the State/UT in effectively addressing the challenges related to timely diagnosis and follow up.
3. The two-member teams will comprise of a Community Medicine expert from PGIMER, Chandigarh and an epidemiologist from NCDC. These teams shall be stationed in the State/UT for ten days to provide extended guidance in managing COVID.
4. The States/UTs have been advised to proactively undertake comprehensive measures to break the chain of transmission of the infectious disease and lower mortality, such that it eventually dips below 1%.

(PIB, 6 September 2020) News Link

• Health Ministry reviews containment & management of COVID-19 in 35 districts of six states, UTs

Key points:

1. These 35 districts comprise Kolkata, Howrah, North 24 Parganas and 24 South Parganas in West Bengal, Pune, Nagpur, Thane, Mumbai, Mumbai Suburban, Kolhapur, Sangli, Nashik, Ahmednagar, Raigad, Jalgaon, Solapur, Satara, Palghar, Aurangabad, Dhule and Nanded in Maharashtra, Surat in Gujarat, Puducherry, East Singhbhum in Jharkhand and all 11 districts in Delhi.
2. Mr Bhushan and State Health Secretaries also discussed the detailed roadmaps and action plans for the next one month.
3. The States and UTs were advised to take steps on limiting the spread of the infection by implementing stringent containment measures and following social distancing measures. They have been also advised for effective monitoring of home isolation cases and early hospitalization in case of disease progression.

(News on Air, 6 September 2020) News Link