Amarnath Yatra resumed on the Baltal route in Ganderbal district on Tuesday after a four-day suspension following flash floods that claimed 15 lives and left several injured, officials said.
They said a fresh batch of the pilgrims left the Baltal base camp early morning for the cave shrine.
Flash floods near the shrine on July 8 left at least 15 people dead and over 30 missing, forcing the temporary suspension of the pilgrimage. The pilgrimage had resumed on Monday via the Pahalgam route.

Former Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh today rued the scrapping of the Mattewara Textile Park project, terming it as the most regressive and short sighted decision. “You don’t throw away the baby with the bath water”, he remarked in a statement while reacting to the government decision.

Questioning the diatribe launched against the project he clarified that the textile park was not to come up within the Mattewara forest area as was being said, but outside it. He disclosed that all environmental concerns had been addressed according to the United Nations guidelines and only then the park was approved.

Capt Amarinder regretted that the Aam Aadmi Party government, after initially deciding to go ahead with the project had scrapped it, just because some people opposed it without any justification or without any technical and scientific knowledge about the environment.

The former Chief Minister said, the Ludhiana Textile Park was one of the seven such parks coming up across the country. This textile park was set up with the specific objective of sustainable industrialization that does not harm the environment according to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 9.

He said, with such approach no industrialization can take place in Punjab, which is already scarce of land. “When Punjab is reeling under such a financial crisis and investments are not coming, such a regressive decision will further discourage the industry from coming here”, he observed, while adding, such a crucial decision should not have been taken in such haste.

Moreover, he pointed out, the National Green Tribunal had already set up an expert committee to examine the project and objections raised from certain quarters. He said the government should have waited for its decision.
He also expressed surprise as to how the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann took a U-turn after supporting the project and even announced funds for further land acquisition.

Parameswaran Iyer, who had spearheaded the implementation of the flagship USD 20 billion Swachh Bharat Mission, on Monday took charge as the CEO of NITI Aayog.
A 1981-batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, Iyer has worked with both the public and private sectors, according to an official statement.

He was secretary in the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation during 2016 20.

“With over 25 years of experience in the water and sanitation sector, Iyer spearheaded the implementation of the India’s flagship USD 20 billion Swachh Bharat Mission, which successfully delivered access to safe sanitation to 550 million people,” the statement said.

In the statement, Iyer said he was honoured and humbled to have been given the incredible opportunity to serve the country again, this time as NITI Aayog CEO.

Iyer also said that he was deeply grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for another chance to work under his leadership towards a transformed India.

Top Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist Kaiser Koka was among two ultras killed in an encounter with security forces in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, police said.

The encounter broke out at Wandakpora in Awantipora area after security forces launched a cordon and search operation, a police official said.

“#Terrorist Kaiser Koka #neutralised. Identification of 2nd terrorist being ascertained. #Incriminating materials, arms & ammunition including 01 USA made rifle (M-4 Carbine), 01 pistol and other materials have been recovered,” a police spokesman tweeted.

Koka was wanted in many terror-related incidents, the official said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday unveiled the national emblem cast on the roof of the new Parliament building here.

The inauguration of the emblem, which is made up of bronze with a total weight of 9,500 kg and is 6.5 metre in height, marks the first major milestone ahead of the new building’s scheduled opening for later this year.

Authorities have maintained that Parliament’s Winter session will be held there.

Officials said the emblem has been cast at the top of the central foyer of the new Parliament building, and a supporting structure of steel weighing around 6,500 kg has been constructed to support it.

The concept sketch and process of casting of the national emblem on the roof of the new Parliament building has gone through eight different stages of preparation from clay modelling and computer graphics to bronze casting and polishing, they said.

Modi was joined by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh and Urban Development Minister Hardeep Singh at the inauguration. He also attended a religious ceremony at the site.

The prime minister also interacted with workers involved in the building’s construction and told them that they should feel proud of their work. They are making a very big contribution to the nation’s pride, he said.

“I had a wonderful interaction with the Shramjeevis who have been involved in the making of Parliament. We are proud of their efforts and will always remember their contribution to our nation,” he tweeted.

When a worker expressed joy at his visit to the site and likened it to Lord Ram’s arrival at Shabri’s hut, a reference to epic Ramayana, Modi said light-heartedly, “Wah, wah, this is your hut!” He then added that every poor person of the country should also feel that this is his hut. “You have said a very good thing,” the prime minister said.

When he asked them if they feel that they are making a building or history, they said in a chorus, “History”.

He also asked them about the difference they felt about being part of the construction of the Parliament building and working at some other projects. The group of workers said they felt proud of working at the new Parliament building.

Modi enquired about their well-being and if they have got themselves vaccinated against COVID-19.

India is projected to surpass China as the world’s most populous country next year, according to a report by the United Nations on Monday which said that the world population is forecast to reach eight billion by mid-November 2022.

The World Population Prospects 2022 by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, said that the global population is projected to reach eight billion on November 15, 2022.

The global population is growing at its slowest rate since 1950, having fallen under one per cent in 2020.

The latest projections by the United Nations suggest that the world’s population could grow to around 8.5 billion in 2030 and 9.7 billion in 2050.

It is projected to reach a peak of around 10.4 billion people during the 2080s and to remain at that level until 2100.

This year’s World Population Day (July 11) falls during a milestone year, when we anticipate the birth of the Earth’s eight billionth inhabitant. This is an occasion to celebrate our diversity, recognise our common humanity, and marvel at advancements in health that have extended lifespans and dramatically reduced maternal and child mortality rates, UN Secretary-General Ant nio Guterres said.

At the same time, it is a reminder of our shared responsibility to care for our planet and a moment to reflect on where we still fall short of our commitments to one another, he added.

The report said that “India is projected to surpass China as the world’s most populous country during 2023.

The world’s two most populous regions in 2022 were Eastern and South-Eastern Asia, with 2.3 billion people, representing 29 per cent of the global population, and Central and Southern Asia, with 2.1 billion, representing 26 per cent of the total world population.

China and India accounted for the largest populations in these regions, with more than 1.4 billion each in 2022.

More than half of the projected increase in global population up to 2050 will be concentrated in just eight countries of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Tanzania.

“Disparate population growth rates among the world’s largest countries will change their ranking by size: for example, India is projected to surpass China as the world’s most populous country in 2023, the report said.

According to the report, India’s population stands at 1.412 billion in 2022, compared to China’s 1.426 billion.

India, which will surpass China as the world’s most populous nation by 2023, is projected to have a population of 1.668 billion in 2050, way ahead of China’s 1.317 billion people by the middle of the century.

The report added that it is estimated that ten countries experienced a net outflow of more than 1 million migrants between 2010 and 2021.

In many of these countries, these outflows were due to temporary labour movements, such as for Pakistan (net outflow of -16.5 million during 2010-2021), India (-3.5 million), Bangladesh (-2.9 million), Nepal (-1.6 million) and Sri Lanka (-1 million).

In other countries, including the Syrian Arab Republic (-4.6 million), Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) (-4.8 million), and Myanmar (-1 million), insecurity and conflicts have driven the net outflow of migrants over the decade.

Global life expectancy at birth reached 72.8 years in 2019, an improvement of almost 9 years since 1990. Further reductions in mortality are projected to result in an average global longevity of around 77.2 years in 2050.

Yet in 2021, life expectancy for the least developed countries lagged 7 years behind the global average.

Alternative long-term population projections have also been undertaken by the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME).

In its recent projections, IHME projected that the global population will reach 8.8 billion in 2100 with a range of 6.8 billion to 11.8 billion.

The main difference between the projections released by IHME and the United Nations lies in the assumptions on the future level of fertility.

The report said that IHME projects that the global level of fertility will decline faster than under the United Nations medium scenario.

According to IHME, the average number of children per woman will decline to 1.66 children at the end of the century while the United Nations projects fertility to be around 1.84 at the same date.

In India, IHME projects a total fertility rate of 1.29 births per woman in 2100 instead of 1.69 in the United Nations medium scenario, resulting in a population that is 433 million smaller than according to the United Nations projections at the end of the century.

The share of the global population at ages 65 and above is projected to rise from 10 per cent in 2022 to 16 per cent in 2050.

At that point, it is expected that the number of persons aged 65 years or over worldwide will be more than twice the number of children under age 5 and about the same as the number under age 12.

Countries with ageing populations should take steps to adapt public programmes to the growing numbers of older persons, including by establishing universal health care and long-term care systems and by improving the sustainability of social security and pension systems, it said.

The report noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected all three components of population change. Global life expectancy at birth fell to 71.0 years in 2021.

In some countries, successive waves of the pandemic may have produced short-term reductions in numbers of pregnancies and births, while for many other countries, there is little evidence of an impact on fertility levels or trends. The pandemic severely restricted all forms of human mobility, including international migration.

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Monday launched a 15-day mega plantation drive to further increase the green cover in the national capital.

The ‘Van Mahotsav’, which started from the Central Ridge, will culminate with the plantation of one lakh saplings at Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary on July 25, he said.

Around 35 lakh saplings and shrubs will be planted in Delhi this year.

Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and other ministers will participate in the ‘Van Mahotsav’.

Members of legislative assembly (MLAs) will lead the drive in their respective constituencies on Monday.

The Centre had given the Delhi government a target of planting 28 lakh saplings in 2021-22. The city ended up planting 35 lakh saplings.

According to the Forest Survey of India’s latest report, Delhi’s green cover has increased from 21.88 per cent to 23.06 per cent of its geographical area in the last two years.

While addressing media persons here Deepender Hooda Member Parliament son of former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda as well as leader of opposition in Haryana Vidhan Sabha demanded that the government should immediately withdraw the Agneepath scheme in the interest of the nation, as the scheme is neither in the interest of the army, nor in the interest of the country, or the youth of the country.

He reached Ambala to participate in the huge Mashaal march organized by Haryana Youth Congress at Ambala Panchayat Bhawan as part of Fauj Bachao, Desh Bachbao campaign to protest against Agneepath scheme. He further said that former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri had given the slogan of Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, but BJP government has first attacked the interests of the farmers and now the interests of the jawans.

Deepender said, he first fought for the rights of the farmers, now he will fight for the rights of the soldiers till the government does not withdraw this plan, we are firmly standing with the interests of the country’s army and the soldiers of the country and every step that weakens the country’s army and shatters the dreams of the youth will be strongly opposed from the streets to the Parliament,

The Rajya Sabha MP warned the government that it should not take steps to ruin the future of the youth and weaken the country’s army. “Just as the government withdrew all the three laws by apologizing to the farmers, it should start by apologizing to the youth, withdraw the Agneepath scheme and immediately start recruitment on 2 lakh permanent posts lying vacant in the army,” he said.

Deepender also said, there are 62 lakh vacancies in the jobs of various departments of the central and state government, out of which 26 lakh posts are vacant in the central government alone. He said, in response to his question in Parliament, the government said that more than 2 lakh posts are lying vacant in the army, recruitments are closed for three years. He also pointed out how the Agrniveer scheme would impact the youth, since till now, every year there were 60-80,000 confirmed recruitments in the army, now there will be 40-50,000 recruitments every year in Agneepath scheme, out of which 75% will be retired after 4 years. In the next 15 years, the strength of the army would be reduced from the present 14 lakh, to half. If the strength of the army decreases, then unemployment will also increase, he added.

Deepender said, a large number of people from Haryana have traditionally been recruited in the army.He said, in Haryana, we have a tradition of serving the country and we are willing to make the supreme sacrifice for the nation, from generation to generation. Hooda said, we make only 2% of the population but make 10% of the army. Hr continued that ssoldiers, ex-servicemen, para-military personnel and their families live in villages in Haryana whereas Agneepath scheme is like a big setback ffor the youth here,

Describing the ill-effects of All India All Classes under Agneepath scheme, Deepender said that in the year 2019-20, about 5000 youths from Haryana were admitted in the army. But after this scheme, now about 5000 confirmed recruitment from Haryana will come down to only 963, in this also after 4 years only 240 Agniveers will be confirmed and 722 Agniveers will be moved out of government jobs. and In this way the ‘Agneepath’ scheme will hit the youth of the whole country including Haryana.

It was only due to Parivar Pehchan Patra (PPP) scheme introduced by Haryana state government more than 16000 women were detected falsely claiming Vidhwa Pension due to husband’s death or got married again after the death of their husband. PPP scheme have proved beneficial to stop corruption in these frauds but also in various other sectors in the state. According to data available on PPP portal more than 16000 women in the state were found falsely getting Vidhwa Pension from Social Justice and Rights department making claim after the death of their husband, whereas according to PPP data as well as verification conducted there after it was observed that after the death of husband they got married against and enjoying married life thus falsely claiming pension as such it was immediately stopped.  

According to Vidhwa Pension scheme by social welfare department in the state, amount worth Rs 2500 each is being provided by the government towards Vidhwa Pension to widows whereas many of these were found falsely claiming the same or got married again and according to data available on PPP portal the name of their husband as well as other family members was there and during survey in large number of cases most the women were found married again and leading a happy life but falsely getting pension amount from the government. According to a senior officer of the department, it is now difficult for the government to get refund for the pension amount already paid in such a large number of cases, however the same has been discontinued with immediate effect and the amount will be adjusted from their old-age pension scheme in which state government allows old-age pension to those having annual income less than Rs 2000 after the age 60 for which complete data has been safely preserved in records. There are nearly 23000 such persons identified in the state at present.

Talking to media persons  recently Om Parkash Yadav State Minister told that nearly 27 lakh women in Haryana state are availing Vidhwa Pension every month are linked with PPP scheme and the data of their families is available on PPP portal and it was observed that nearly three lakh persons in the state have been found having annual income less than 3.5 lakh as such their pension scheme was discontinued. Yadav told that according to PPP portal information the widow pension of over 16000 women in the state was discontinued since according to available data and survey they were found spending happy married life and their pension was discontinued immediately.

A cloudburst near the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir swept away scores of people, killing at least 15 and swamping tents and community kitchens on Friday evening.

At least 15,000 pilgrims have been shifted to the lower base camp, while more than 40 people are still missing

 Who were stranded near the Amarnath holy cave in Jammu and Kashmir due to a flash flood triggered by a cloudburst, have been shifted to the lower base camp of Panjtarni, an ITBP spokesperson said on Saturday Morning .

The border guarding force has also expanded its route opening and protection parties from lower part of the holy cave up to Panjtarni, he said.

The flash flood near the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir swept away scores of people, killing at least 13 and swamping tents and community kitchens on Friday evening.

The yatra that began on June 30 has been suspended following the tragedy and a decision on its resumption will be taken after rescue operations get over, a senior administration official had said.

“Most of the yatris, who were stranded near holy cave area due to the flash flood that occurred last evening, have been shifted to Panjtarni. The evacuation continued till 3.38 am.

“No yatri is left on the track. About 15,000 people have been safely shifted till now,” the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) spokesperson said.

A Border Security Force (BSF) spokesperson said doctors and medical staff of the paramilitary force treated nine patients who were critically injured in the floods.

“They have been rescued to lower altitude Neelgrath base camp,” he said.

A small BSF team is also deployed at the Neelgrath helipad to assist the pilgrims coming from the holy cave.

About 150 yatris stayed at the BSF camp created in Panjtarni on Friday night and 15 patients have been airlifted to Baltal on Saturday morning, he said.