New Delhi: More than 4 lakh patients have been attended to for various ailments, 35,000 patients admitted to hospitals and 11,000 surgeries performed in Jammu & Kashmir since 5 August when Article 370 was withdrawn by the Centre, clearly indicating that the region is gradually limping back to normalcy, as against the fake news being spread by sections of the Western media.
According to official information, the region has adequate supply of all the 376 “notified” medicines and 662 “essential” medicines. The region has supplies which could last almost six weeks. Official records say that 95% healthcare professionals are on duty. There have been fake stories spread by a particular section of media that the healthcare services have collapsed in the region and there is severe shortage of essential medicines.
Sources said that banking and ATM facilities are operating normally and 92% of J&K has no restrictions. Out of the 199 police stations in the J&K and Ladakh, only 11 police stations have day time restrictions. There was a report in a foreign press which tries to project the situation in one police station in Srinagar as a representative of what is going on in the entire region.
Raveesh Kumar, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, while replying to a question put by The Sunday Guardian, said: “There are motivated stories, especially in the international press. All the essential supplies, till Wednesday, including 24×7 electricity, water supply, healthcare, education and sanitation are being ensured. Hospitals and medical facilities are functioning normally.”
Landlines have been restored fully. All telephone exchanges are fully operational, mobile connectivity is being extended gradually, including in Srinagar. On the economic front, the government has launched a special market intervention price scheme to procure 1.2 million metric tonnes of apple and committing almost $800 million to support the livelihood of farmers in the process.
Asked whether the MEA is making efforts to counter the fake stories / narrative spread by the Western media, at different levels, Kumar said: “Yes, we are countering at the diplomatic level the lies and deceit, the propaganda which they are trying to spread. And there is a broad understanding of our position among the international community and, at the same time, we have explained our position both in relation to Article 370 and how it is done in the framework of the Indian Constitution and also how these changes are necessary for the development and prosperity of the state.”
He said India has also highlighted its position regarding human rights to all the interested countries and international organisations. “In the UN Human Rights Council, our delegation put forth our position clearly and also responded to Pakistan’s distorted statement, the lies which they put out, using the right to reply,” the MEA official said.
“It is very clear that Pakistan’s attempt to polarise and politicise the situation has been rejected. The global community is aware of Pakistan’s role in aiding, abetting and supporting the terrorist infrastructure which they have in their country. It’s a case of doublespeak. It is quite audacious on the part of Pakistan that the country which is harbouring terrorists, which is the epicenter of terrorism, is pretending to speak on behalf of the global community on human rights. They need to understand that repeating a lie four and five times does not turn it into a gospel truth and that I think came out very clearly at the Human rights Council. I think the credibility of the messenger here is something which is highly suspect and this is something which the global community is aware of,” Kumar added.