From stinking body to gorgeous diva, turning frowning eyes into a happy one, it took a good time for Siddhi to get out of drug addiction. Siddhi who is just 21 now, fell prey to addiction three years ago. She got addicted after an incident when her cousin once told her to taste opium out of curiosity. It was earlier an occasional thing then became a habit. Her cousin made her fall into this addiction out of revenge, he died but her life became hell. (Name of Girl is changed)

While talking her pain out, she says, “I lost my mother due to these drugs and people who used to curse my mother for my condition. Relatives used to tell my mother that there is a fault in her values and upbringing that I become a drug addict. But it was not her fault at all. It is all her prayers that today I am out of it but she is not around.”

At such tender age, her father gets her admitted to Govt drug de-addiction centre of Sangrur and She eventually started participating in Red Cross Society’s initiated De-Addiction Programs. Now, Siddhi is pursuing her Graduation through a correspondence program at Punjabi University. She is running a successful beauty parlour and also trains people in practising yoga.

Like Siddhi, there is the story of Harvinder Singh, a married man who was once got to be steeped in drugs. While talking to The Daily Guardian, Harvinder exhorts, “ A person who takes drugs, his personality is changed. He can’t help himself to get out of it. It is for his relatives to help him out and get him out of it. My family supported me and the Red Cross Society of Sangrur who taught me to be inclined towards spiritualism helped me get off that turmoil.” (Harvinder is an imaginary name as requested anonymity)

Harvinder from Sangrur participated in Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh’s program where Harvinder spoke about his journey.

Our programs by Red Cross Society have been able to rehabilitate more than 400 youngsters till now. We give them yoga classes, motivational talks, treatment, and many such programs and family sort of atmosphere help them all to break the shell of drug that they have been in for a long time, exhorts Anmol Singh Dhaliwal, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Sangrur.

The Chief Secretary of Delhi, Vijay Dev, inaugurated a mobile vaccination bus of the New Delhi district administration on Sunday, which is the first of the national capital. The AI-equipped bus was launched at the shelter home near Bangla Sahib Gurdwara. The Chief Secretary emphasised the importance of vaccination in fighting the pandemic and lauded the district administration for coming out with this innovative project. After the launch ceremony, the bus vaccinated 100 people including those with disabilities, transgender, and homeless persons.

The district administration plans to take this bus to the left-out sections of the society and vaccinate them all. Once the homeless persons near the Gurdwara will be vaccinated, the bus will be sent to vaccinate the remaining construction workers of Central Vista, followed by other construction sites and cluster colonies.

District Magistrate Dr Monica Priyadarshini described the various features of the bus and said the district administration aims to get the fruits of government policy to all the needy and prioritise them. She said that the fusion of modern transport technology with vaccination is a noble and novel idea. The DM thanked the sponsors SBI Life Insurance and GrowDiesel Climate Council for transforming the conventional Vaccination drive into “Vaccination drive plus”. The OSD vaccination of New Delhi district, Vyshakh Nag, who was present there, said that this initiative will increase the geographical reach and will enable the district vaccination drive to go all-inclusive and accessible, touching every segment of the society.

Ensuring safety and sterilisation, the mobile clinic is divided into separate sections for Covid testing and vaccination while also armed with power and the internet. Additionally, the clinic is also fitted with smart TVs and computers to ensure real-time data management. Leveraging innovation and the latest technology, the bus also has an AI-enabled thermal detection camera with facial recognition along with voice-controlled innovation. Sanitisation of the bus is made as simple as just saying “Alexa, sanitise the mobile clinic”. With onboard pharmacy, fumigation systems and UV lights, this clinic will help serve the remote parts of the district. Moreover, the bus is blended with eco-friendly biofuels to ensure reducing carbon emissions and carbon footprint while also serving the nation and showing the way in sustainable development.

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has imposed a fine of Rs 86,20,006 on violators of Covid-19 SOPs across 10 districts of Kashmir in the last two weeks. As per the details shared by Divisional Covid Control Room Kashmir (DCCR), an amount of Rs 82,14,716 fines have been imposed alone on people for not wearing masks in the past two weeks in the Valley.

The Srinagar district followed by Kulgam topped the list for realising a fine of Rs 22,93,060 and Rs 13,44,500 accordingly from the offenders between 11 to 24 June.

The joint checking squads and teams constituted by respective Deputy Commissioners deployed across all districts have intensified the inspections and action against violations of laid down guidelines to ensure covid SOPs are followed religiously to contain the spread of the virus. During the anti-Covid SOPs violations operation, the flying squads held as many as 27925 inspections, arrested nearly 300 persons, while nearly 1000 shops including some restaurants and hotels were sealed for resorting to violations of Covid SOPs.

The fine was imposed for violations of wearing face mask/ spitting, social distancing and violations done by shopkeepers, restaurant operators, religious places, wedding halls, workshops, other business establishments and during gatherings and others during the campaign. The checking of 63935 vehicles was done, there were 2677 violations, out of which 1590 vehicles were challaned and 901 vehicles were impounded.

A senior official at Divisional Covid Control Room said that the operation against the violations of Covid SOPs shall be intensified in future in all districts and those found indulging in violations shall be booked as per the law to ensure people adopt appropriate Covid-19 behaviour as it is must to contain the spread of the virus. He added that enforcement complemented with vaccination is the best possible strategy to lower the pandemic curve. He further added that enforcing appropriate behaviour is imperative of the government and there shall be zero tolerance against violators..

Covid-19 cases are now declining in the country. The Prime Minister launched a massive vaccination campaign ion 21 June. Home Minister Amit Shah visited the halls at Bodakdev in Ahmedabad and launched the campaign. Within five days of the launch of the vaccination campaign, a vaccine fiasco was seen in Ahmedabad and other parts of Gujarat over the weekend. The Daily Guardian team visited various vaccination centres in for a reality check.

It was found that vaccines were not available at Urban Health Centre, Paldi, Ahmedabad; Government School, Fatehpur Village, Amreli; Kameshwar School, Jodhpur Char Rasta, Ahmedabad; and Vastrapur Community Hall, Ahmedabad. Posters saying ‘vaccine not available’ were put up outside the vaccination centres. It can also be since more people rushed to the vaccination centres as it was a weekend. But when they did not get the vaccine, they went from one centre to another in hopes of getting a jab. Some vaccination centres only had only 100 doses available. The government is making big claims about the vaccination campaign but in reality, people are suffering due to the lack of planning and proper arrangements.

“I came to get the vaccine. But this vaccination centre is closed as there is no vaccine. It’s been closed for the last three days, so we have to go to a different centre now. The government should make available a sufficient quantity of vaccines. On one hand, people are told that vaccination is compulsory and on the other hand, there is no provision for vaccination so we appeal to the government to arrange vaccines,” said Kapil Jani, who was at a government school in Fatehpur village.

Jashodaben, who came to the Vastrapur Community Hall to get the vaccine, said, “We came here to get the vaccine and also went to another centre but even that centre didn’t have vaccines. It compulsory for traders, job seekers, and hawkers to take the vaccine but there are no vaccines.” Vishal, who also came at the Community Hall to get the vaccine, said, “It’s the weekend so I came to get the vaccine but since the vaccination centre is closed, we have to go back.”

Many vaccination centres including the ones in Ambli, Bopal, Ghooma, and Godhavi, had ‘Vaccination Centre Closed Today’ boards. People outside the vaccine centres were saying that the government talks of having a large stock of vaccines but there is no stock of vaccines at the centre. “I was scared of the syringe but at the insistence of my family, I came today to get the vaccine. I am disappointed as there is no stock,” said a person at the vaccine centre.

In Rajkot too, it has been learned that the stock of vaccines in most of the centres has run out. Even in Surat, people who had come to the Puna village, to get vaccinated were caught on camera waiting in line. Some locals said that the free vaccine has been announced but the government seems to be unaware that the vaccine centres are closed. Officials say the amount of vaccine is not sufficient. Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC) claims to have planned to vaccinate 1 lakh people daily. On Friday, the fifth day of the vaccination campaign, over 33,000 people were vaccinated in Ahmedabad.

A total of 260 centers were started by Vadodara Mahanagar Seva Sadan in Vaccine Mega Campaign. Vaccination was underway at 170 centers in Vadodara, with more number of people arriving at the Sayaji Hospital vaccination center for the vaccine. People who went there to get vaccinated without registration were outraged that they were not given the vaccine. An old man had to wait for three hours for the vaccine.

Nashik rural police busted a high-profile rave party that was going on at a bungalow in Igatpuri. During the raid, police officials recovered narcotic substances and cash, as well as 22 persons have been arrested and taken into custody. Those arrested include two prominent choreographers, a former Big Boss contestant, and four actresses from the Hindi and South Indian film industry. The arrested persons had gathered at the bungalow to celebrate the birthday of a cricket bookie. All the arrested people have been taken for medical examination. Sources say that a foreigner was also present at the party. Out of the 22 arrested, sources informed that there are 10 males and 12 females. The bookie has also been taken into custody. According to a Nashik rural police superintendent Sachin Patil, “These 22 persons include several artists and choreographers who have been arrested by the police. The team has seized drugs and some money from the party. Medical examination of the arrested persons is underway.”Nashik rural police have said that they are still waiting for details.

The police have arrested one bookie also whose birthday celebration it was at Igatpuri Sky Taj Villa. The arrested people include: Piyush Shetiyar, Aarac, Vishal Mehta, Rohit Arora, Chandani Bhatija, Shruti Shetty, Sachin Narvekar, Hina Panchal, Arpita, Sheena, Priti Choudhry, Shanya Kaur, Karishma, Varun Bafana, Aakivand and one foreign national Azaar Faarnud.

According to the police, drugs have been found in commercial quantities. The police source is also trying to check if there is any prostitution racket between entertainment industry and such events.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC ) has formed a seven-member committee to look into the post-poll violence in West Bengal. This decision of the NHRC is in compliance with the High Court order on 18 June. The committee has started receiving representations from complainants from Sunday, as per an official.

The members of the committee met the victims/complainants from 4 pm on Sunday and will meet from 10 am on Monday at the Staff Officer Mess of the CRPF at Salt Lake, the official said.

According to the official, the panel members and several other teams of the National Human Rights Commission “have been touring various places of West Bengal and inquiring into the veracity of these allegations.”

On 18 June, the HC had ordered the NHRC to constitute a committee and visit those places where post-poll violence complaints were registered, with the report to be filed by 30 June.

Following this, on 21 June, the West Bengal government filed an application seeking recall of the order. The government had claimed that it was not given adequate opportunity to place all facts on record, including the steps it took to address the violence.

The HC, however, dismissed the plea, stating that it had to involve the NHRC because there were allegations that the police was not acting on complaints. The five-judge bench, headed by acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal, observed that the June 18 order was passed after the state failed to inspire the court’s confidence.

The NHRC team is looking into the aspects of how many complaints have been lodged, what are the steps being taken by the local administration, and how many people were allegedly forced to flee their homes.

Retired Justice Girish Gupta, chairman of West Bengal Human Rights Commission (WBHRC) questioned the efficiency of NHRC before setting foot in the state. Citing an example, Gupta claimed that the efficiency of the WBHRC is more than that.

He gave the details of the incident. West Tripura District Magistrate Shailesh Kumar Yadav, who forcibly stopped two wedding ceremonies being held in violation of the night curfew in place to check the spread of Covid-19, is accused of gross misconduct during the raids on 26 April. It includes allegedly slapping a priest, shoving one of the grooms and arresting everyone present at the weddings. Gupta told us that he informed about this incident in a letter to the NHRC but to no avail. He said, “I was later told that the matter had been reported to the Chief Secretary. I passed the judicial order but my name was not mentioned.” Gupta questioned the efficiency of the NHRC, citing the example of his work.

-With PTI inputs