SRINAGAR: In a tragic incident, a worker fell to death at a stone quarry in the Safapora area of central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district on Thursday.
An official said that a worker, Gulzar Ahmad Mir, son of Ghulam Mohammad Mir, a resident of Kondbal Safapora, who was working at a stone quarry lost his balance and fell from a high cliff, resulting in his death on the spot.
Police were immediately informed and a team from the local police station was dispatched to the site, the official said, adding that the police have started an investigation in this regard. (KNO)
SRINAGAR: A man died while another sustained critical injuries as lightning struck them in the Rajouri district.
Locals said that on Thursday evening, lightning struck the Patli forest area of Kotranka sub-division in which two men fell unconscious with critical injuries.
Both were taken to the Community Health Center Kandi, they said.
An official said that 28-year-old Zafar Iqbal, son of Mohammad Bashir, a resident of Panjnara was brought dead to the hospital.
Meanwhile, Showkat Ali, 22, son of Wali Mohammad, a resident of Panjnara is critically injured and has been referred to Government Medical College Rajouri for specialised treatment, the official said. (KNO)
SRINAGAR: Union Home Minister Amit Shah Thursday reviewed the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir in a high level meeting held in Delhi and expressed his gratitude and satisfaction over the lowest ever count of militants in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Home Minister hailed the UT administration especially LG Manoj Sinha for massive developmental activities in JK and urged the administration to gear up for hosting the G-20 events in the month of May.
Shah chaired the second-leg of the high level security meeting in North Block New Delhi at 3 pm on Thursday where National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, JK LG Sinha, DGP Dilbagh Singh, Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, DG CID R Swain and other top officials of the BSF, CRPF and intelligence wings participated. Besides, Director Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka, R&AW chief Samant Kumar Goel, NIA Director General DG Dinkar Gupkar also participated in the meeting.
“The Home Minister expressed his gratitude and satisfaction over the lowest ever militant count in J&K. He hailed the efforts of police and other security forces for putting in their best to root-out militancy from J&K soil and directed them to step up anti-militancy operations to eliminate the remaining militants,” a source privy to the meeting said.
The Home Minister directed the security agencies operating in JK to maintain close coordination and a keep close watch on anti-national elements and ensure peace prevails in the UT.
“The Home Minister stated that police, security forces besides the Central agencies including NIA should work together and maintain a close synergy to make peace a permanent feature,” the source said.
Today’s meeting comes a day after the Union Home Secretary took the first review of the officials at North Block. Sources in the MHA said that the Home Minister stressed on ensuring all the possible arrangements for peaceful conduct of G-20 meetings in Srinagar in the month of May.
“He hailed the efforts being put in by LG Sinha in ensuring fast track development in J&K. He asked the LG Sinha and officials to maintain coordination and ensure all arrangements for the G-20 meetings are put in place,” the sources said.
The Home Minister also expressed his satisfaction over massive decline in the local militant recruitment and almost zero infiltration in the year 2022. As per official figures, 187 militants were killed in 111 anti-militancy operations in J&K in year 2022.
Pertinently, Srinagar city is going through a massive infrastructural revamp ahead of the G-20 summit. (KNO)
SRINAGAR: Body of a Nepali labourer was retrieved from Nallah Sindh in Kangan area of central-Kashmir’s Ganderbal district this evening, officials said.
Identifying the deceased as one Chabi Lal Vishwakarma, son of Nar Singh, hailing from Karnali Nepal, the officials said that soon after intimation about the sighting of the body in the water source, an operation was launched at the site which yielded in retrieval of the body.
Meanwhile confirming it, a police official told GNS that a case has been registered in this regard for further investigations. (GNS)
SRINAGAR: After a long winter halt, the Margan Top Road in district Kishtwar has finally been opened officially. The road connects the remote regions of Marwah and Warwan with the rest of Jammu and Kashmir. The road was cleared of snow with the tireless efforts of the Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) Projects of Marwah (Kishtwar) and Vailoo (Anantnag).
The road’s opening is a significant achievement that will bring much-needed relief to the people by easing mobility and transportation of essential goods.
Making the announcement, Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar Dr Devansh Yadav shared that the road would be opened for light vehicular movement from next week. “The opening of the road will facilitate intra-district movement of people and essential services, bringing much-needed respite to the region” he said.
Starting next week, the Margan Top Road will be made operational in a phased manner, enabling hassle-free travel and commute well before the auspicious Eid-ul-Fitr 2023 celebration. (GNS)
SRINAGAR: Apni Party President Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Thursday called on people from all walks of life to unite against the ongoing drug menace in the Kashmir and protect the young populationfrom falling prey to this grave evil. He emphasised that society can no longer afford to lose youngsters to drugs and urged everyone to play his/ her role in eradicating the menace.
While talking to reporters on the sidelines of an event, Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari said, “Apni Party has decided to take a range of initiatives, including skill development training for the youth, with the aim of empowering the youngsters and protecting them from the ongoing drug abuse in J&K.”
He said, “We are not taking these initiatives for political benefits or electoral gains; rather, this is a sincere effort to shoulder our responsibility towards society. Given the severity of the drug menace and its impact on society, I think every one of us ought to play his/her role in eradicating this destructive evil.”
Apni Party President made a promise that he would extend his assistance in rehabilitating the drug victims. He said that if anyone approaches him seeking help for the rehabilitation of an addict, he will provide support while ensuring the victim’s identity remains confidential.
Bukhari urged the administration to take serious measures to nab each and every person who is responsible for the smuggling and sale of drugs in society.
He said these criminals are playing with the lives of people, and they must face severe punishment.
With Jammu and Kashmir recording the highest prevalence of dementia across India, the researchers are desperate to find answers to a trend that many think has leapt out of the mass depression the region has lived with, reports Insha Shirazi
A recent study shocked the scientific community by revealing that Jammu and Kashmir top the list of areas in India having the highest prevalence of dementia. Published by the Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, the study prevalence of dementia in India: National and state estimates from a nationwide study put the dementia prevalence in the 60-plus population in India at 7.4 per cent.
What set the alarm bells ringing was that the prevalence of dementia was 4.5 per cent in Delhi and 11 per cent in Jammu and Kashmir.
Alarmed over the findings, the scientists have started asking for more investigation to determine whether the long-running insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir, which has raged for more than 30 years, may be the cause of the area’s high dementia prevalence.
In Jammu and Kashmir in general and Kashmir in particular, cases of dementia are stated to be on the rise. In 1986, a few years before the onset of militancy, a study on the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease in Kashmir found no cases of dementia in Kashmir.
Changed Situation
Now the situation has completely changed.
“We routinely see 3 to 5 cases of dementia-like cases in our daily OPD, on average,” Dr Yasir Rather, professor in the Department of Psychiatry, IMHANS GMC Srinagar said. “Brain cell destruction is the root cause of dementia. The communication between brain cells is disrupted as a result of this injury. Memory, thinking, behaviour, and feelings might be impacted when brain cells are unable to communicate correctly.”
Off late, people with chronic dementia are more visible. “I regularly observed the activities of my grandmother, who has dementia. She is in her late 70s and exhibited strange behaviours, including forgetting my name and whether or not she had eaten lunch,” a university student, Alya said. “She used to converse with herself as if someone else were around, and sometimes, my grandmother’s condition worsened.”
Brain Blast; Kashmir is witnessing a hugely above-average number of dementia patients and experts are exploring the possibility if it has links with the protracted conflict.
The term dementia refers to a spectrum of mental impairments, including memory loss, difficulty speaking or understanding, difficulty solving problems, and another cognitive decline that is severe enough to affect a person’s ability to go about their everyday activities. This spectrum includes several different varieties of dementia, with Alzheimer’s disease being the most prevalent.
There are two types of dementia. Vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, and frontotemporal dementia are irreversible. Reversible types include dementia-like conditions triggered by vitamin deficiency like vit B 12 or B 1 or due to thyroid problems. “Most people develop Alzheimer’s disease after the age of 65, but people under this age can also develop it,” Dr Yasir said. “This is called early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, a type of young-onset dementia. Dementia-like Frontotemporal type has been diagnosed in people in their 50s, 40s and even in their 30s.”
“The early signs and symptoms of dementia will vary depending on the progression,” Dr Yasir said. “At the onset, the person may experience challenges with their short-term memory, and struggle with things such as paying the bills, preparing meals, forgetting names and religious ritual timings and household chores, or getting lost in a known area. With a moderate stage, an individual may have trouble speaking or understanding speech and they may not understand spatial awareness. In severe stages, a person will no longer have the ability to communicate and will be unable to care for themselves.
High Prevalence
What is, however, not known is why Kashmir offers a high percentage of people with dementia. The likely reasons, Dr Yasir said could include genetic predisposition, poor nutrition, lack of access to healthcare, and environmental factors such as water and air pollutants like excessive use of agricultural and horticulture pesticides in our region.
Besides, he said, Kashmir may have a greater prevalence of dementia due to the high rates of chronic stress, depression, and other psychological problems in the population. Moreover, the prevalence was greater in rural areas (8.4 per cent) than in urban areas (5.3 per cent), highlighting the urgent need to increase diagnosis in rural health facilities.
Dr Kamran Nisar, a researcher at the University of Kashmir’s Centre of Research for Development, is working on the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease in Kashmir. Alzheimer’s dementia, he said, is the most prevalent type of dementia, accounting for 70-80 per cent of the cases.
Kamran has also been trying to find answers. He said a lot of factors contribute to dementia, which includes prolonged stress, conflict, floods, and separation from loved ones. Besides, dementia is also impacted by dietary choices, physical inactivity and family history. People who engage in physical activities, such as cycling, have a far lower risk of developing dementia than physically inactive people.
“In Kashmir, there is a small amount of awareness about dementia, and as a result, people frequently misunderstand what dementia is and how it differs from forgetfulness or some other age-related condition,” Dr Kamran said. “We need to address this issue as much as we can because no awareness campaigns or events are being organized at the university or college level about this dementia and its prevalence is rising in Kashmir.”
Neurologist Dr Irfan Yousuf, also asserted that Kashmir lacks basic knowledge about understanding the crisis. “There is a lack of knowledge about dementia and people mistakenly think it is a form of depression, even though these are unrelated conditions,” Dr Yousuf said. “A person with dementia acts normally and is unaware that they are afflicted with the illness, unlike a person with depression, whose mood is not always good, and who skips interactions as well.”
Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative condition in which brain cells (nerve cells) are not operating normally. Vascular dementia occurs when the brain’s blood arteries get blocked, preventing appropriate blood flow and leading to neuronal dysfunction.
Chronic Depression
Kashmir has been the capital of mental sickness for a long time. For many decades, Kashmir has reported massive mental morbidity. Nearly 18 lakh adult residents of Kashmir, which is almost 45 per cent of the entire population, showed symptoms of mental distress, according to the 2015 survey by the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, or Doctors Without Borders). The survey revealed that 41 per cent of the population showed signs of depression, 26 per cent exhibited signs of anxiety, 23 per cent depression and anxiety and 19 per cent showed probable symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 17 per cent have depression and PTSD, 18 per cent have anxiety, depression and PTSD and 14 per cent have anxiety and PTSD.
depression
Though mental healthcare has expanded over the years and has a better spread, in comparison to the 1990s, the situation is still seriously challenging. The increasing incidence of drug abuse has added yet another load factor to the mental health system.
Detecting Dementia
Dr Irfan Yousuf said the first signs of dementia are when a family member or guardian notices that the person is repeating the same dialogue over and over again and that their mental activities are completely different and are not functioning properly. It is possible to alleviate symptoms and halt the progression of dementia, he said. Studies on dementia have been conducted, and the treatment is still ongoing.
This is the core team that literally rebuilt the Government Psychiatric Diseases Hospital Srinagar that is now known as IMHANS.
“A patient with advanced dementia forgets the route of the road where he or she frequently travels. Particularly at night, they lose track of how to get to their kitchen and bathroom,” Dr Yousuf said. “Although the person suffering from dementia is unaware of these symptoms, family members and their attendants have seen changes.”
SRINAGAR: At least five non-locals were injured in a road accident in Ramban district on Thursday.
Sources said that an accident took place at Seri Ramban in which at least five persons were injured who has been shifted to District Hospital Ramban.
The individuals who sustained injuries have been identified as Sahil, aged 19, son of Jagdeesh Panchan and a resident of Bhadergrah District Haryana Punjab, Vaneeta Kumar, aged 20, son of Surinder Kumar and a resident of Tutate District Sundergrah Haryana; Shiv Dutt, aged 18, son of Subash Chander and a resident of Satwari Jammu; Shiva Panday, aged 19, son of Sudesh Chand Panday and a resident of Balla Sevar Chhattisgarh; and Sonu Yadhav, aged 18, son of Narinder and a resident of Deroli Tehsil Narnoh District Sundergrah Haryana.
The police have taken note of the incident and initiated an investigation. (KS)
SRINAGAR: School Education Department Thursday issued a homework schedule for primary classes and said that there shall be no homework for student’s upto Class-II.
In a circular, Director School Education Department said that for primary classes, there will be no homework up to Class-Il and a maximum of two hours a week shall be assigned to classes III to V.
The circular reads that in middle schools from Classes VI-VIII, there shall be a maximum of one hour a day that is about five to six hours a week.
It reads that at secondary and higher secondary level, there shall be a maximum of two hours a day that is about 10 to 12 hours a week.
“Teachers need to work together to plan and rationalise the amount of homework that they assign to students,” it reads.
The order further reads that teachers of a particular class should assign homework after coordinating with each other, thus avoiding the over burdening of homework for a student.
“As such it is impressed upon all the school heads of both government and private schools to ensure homework to students is given as per the School Bag Policy 2020 and is strictly adhered to,” it reads.
SRINAGAR: School Education Department Thursday issued a homework schedule for primary classes and said that there shall be no homework for student’s upto Class-II.
In a circular, Director School Education Department said that for primary classes, there will be no homework up to Class-Il and a maximum of two hours a week shall be assigned to classes III to V.
The circular reads that in middle schools from Classes VI-VIII, there shall be a maximum of one hour a day that is about five to six hours a week.
It reads that at secondary and higher secondary level, there shall be a maximum of two hours a day that is about 10 to 12 hours a week.
“Teachers need to work together to plan and rationalise the amount of homework that they assign to students,” it reads.
The order further reads that teachers of a particular class should assign homework after coordinating with each other, thus avoiding the over burdening of homework for a student.
“As such it is impressed upon all the school heads of both government and private schools to ensure homework to students is given as per the School Bag Policy 2020 and is strictly adhered to,” it reads.
