Day: January 9, 2022

New Delhi, January 09, 2022 (PPI-OT):The Election Commission of India has announced election schedules for five states, Goa, Punjab, Manipur, Uttarakhand and UP. The election will be completed in seven phases and first will begin from 10 February. Counting of votes will take place on March 10.

The Chief Election Commissioner of India, Sushil Chandra addressing a news conference in New Delhi said the first phase will begin from 10 February and counting will take place on 10 March, 2022. Uttar Pradesh will go to poll in 7 phases from 10th Feb to 7th March, he added.

He said, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Goa to vote on 14th February and Manipur to vote on 27th Feb and 3 March, adding elections in Manipur will take place in two phases. The Chief Election Commissioner said, no roadshows, padyatras, cycle or bike rallies and processions shall be allowed till 15th January; situation to be reviewed and fresh instructions to be issued later

He said, “Our cVIGIL application should be used by voters to report any incident of violation of the Model Code of Conduct, distribution of money and freebies. Within 100 minutes of complaint, ECI officials will reach the place of offence.”

He said all election officials and employees will be considered as frontline workers and all eligible officers will be vaccinated with ‘precautionary dose’. Model Code of Conduct (MCC) comes into effect immediately from announcement of the schedules. Election Commission has made elaborate arrangements for ensuring the effective implementation of the MCC guidelines. Any violation of these guidelines will be strictly dealt with.

It is mandatory for political parties to upload on their website detailed information regarding individuals with pending criminal cases selected as poll candidates. They will also have to give a reason to select the candidate. EVMs and VVPATs will be utilized in all the polling stations. The Election Commission has already made arrangements to ensure an adequate number of EVMs and VVPATs for the smooth conduct of elections.

All polling stations will be equipped with Covid-mitigation facilities including sanitisers and masks; number of booths increased. More than 18 crore voters, including over 8.5 crore women, will be eligible to vote in five state assembly polls. The year 2022 will also see Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat going to the polls. The elections will be a litmus test for the ruling BJP, which is in government in four of the five states going to polls in the next few months.

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New Delhi, January 09, 2022 (PPI-OT):India saw a single-day rise of 1,41,986 new Coronavirus cases, raising the tally to 3,53,68,372, which included 3,071 cases of Omicron variant reported across 27 States and Union territories so far, the Indian Health Ministry said today.

Maharashtra has recorded the maximum number of 876 Omicron variant cases, followed by Delhi at 513, Karnataka 333, Rajasthan 291, Kerala 284 and Gujarat 204. A total of 1,41,986 new coronavirus infections were reported in a day, the highest in around 222 days. The active COVID cases have increased to 4,72,169, the highest in around 187 days, according to the data.

The death toll has climbed to 4,83,463 with 285 fresh fatalities, it stated. A total of 1,52,734 new infections were reported on May 31 last year. The active COVID cases have increased to 4,72,169, comprising 1.34 per cent of the total infections. The national COVID-19 recovery rate has decreased to 97.30 per cent, the Health Ministry said.

An increase of 1,00,806 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours, it said. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 9.28 per cent, while the weekly positivity rate was recorded at 5.66 per cent, the Ministry said. The number of people who have recuperated from COVID-19 surged to 3,44,12,740, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.37 percent, it said.

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Srinagar, January 09, 2022 (PPI-OT):In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference leader, Abdul Samad Inqilabi, paying rich tributes to the martyrs of Gawkdal, Hawal, Zakura, Sopore, Handwara, Kupwara and Bijbehara massacres, said, these massacres of Kashmiris during the last 33 years are a blot on the Indian so-called big democracy.

Abdul Samad Inqilabi in a statement issued in Srinagar said that India had given a free hand to its forces under the draconian law, Armed Forces Special Powers Act, to kill innocent Kashmiris. He added that since 1989, the Indian troops had martyred over one lakh innocent Kashmiris while they had disappeared over eight thousand in custody.

He said, Indian Republic and Independence Days create more difficulties for Kashmiris as the Indian forces intensify the search of vehicles, passengers and passers-by in the name of so-called security. He said that the Indian forces had once again intensified the so-called security measures in Srinagar and other areas in connection with Republic Day (January 26), adding to the hardships of the people in the bitter cold.

Abdul Samad Inqilabi said that the subjugated Kashmiris would once again observe the Indian Republic Day as Black Day to send a clear message to India that they do not recognize its illegal occupation. He appealed to human rights organizations and the international community to take note of the grave human rights violations by India in the occupied territory.

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Srinagar, January 09, 2022 (PPI-OT):In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) has expressed its grave concern over the plight of illegally detained Hurriyat leaders and activists, languishing in different jails of India and the territory at the hands of arrogant jail authorities.

The APHC General Secretary, Molvi Bashir Ahmad Irfani in a statement issued in Srinagar deplored that the Indian jails had been converted into hellish interrogation centres where prisoners are treated as convicted criminals, bonded labourers and worse than animals.

Condemning the denial of proper medical treatment and diet as per jail manual, he warned if anything untoward happened to the ailing leaders and activists belonging to the Kashmir resistance movement, languishing in Tihar, Agra and other hell-like jails, the Indian jail authorities will be responsible.

Illegally detained Hurriyat leaders and activists included APHC Chairman, Masarat Aalam Butt, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Mohamed Yasin Malik, Aasiya Andrabi, Dr Muhammad Qasim Fakhtoo, Dr Shafi Shariat, Dr Ghulam Muhammad Butt, Naheeda Nasreen, Fahmeeda Sofi, Ghulam .Qadir Butt, Altaf Ahmad Shah, ,Ayaz Akbar, Peer Saifullah, Raja Merajuddin Kalwal, Nayeem Ahmad Khan, Shahid-ul-Islam, Farooq Ahamad Dar, Maqsood Ahmad Butt, Ghazanfer Iqbal, Muhammad Yousaf Falahi, Muhammad Yousaf Mir, Mehmood Topiwala, Muhammad Ayoub Dar, Muhammad Ayoub Mir, Zahoor Watali, Nazir Ahamad Sheikh, Showkat Ahamad Khan, Shahid Yousuf, Shakeel Yousaf, Raashid Sehrai and Mujahid Sehrai.

Molvi Bashir Ahamad Irfani urged the United Nations Human Rights Council and other human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and International Committee of the Red Cross, to investigate the criminal negligence of the jails authorities concerned towards illegally detained Hurriyat leaders and activists, who are suffering from multiple ailments for long time in jail.

He also demanded early settlement of the lingering Kashmir dispute in accordance with the United Nations Security Council resolutions for which the people of Kashmir have rendered innumerable sacrifices.

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Jammu, January 09, 2022 (PPI-OT):In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, six bodies of Kashmiri youth remain stranded at Banihal in Ramban district along Srinagar-Jammu highway due to closure of the road. The bodies of six youth belonging to different districts of Kashmir valley are left stranded with the thoroughfare yet to be cleared of accumulated snow at several places.

Among the six bodies includes that of a youth from Pazipora in frontier Kupwara district, who died at Khanna in Punjab state of India. The family of youth demanded arrangements for early arrival of the bodies.

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