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New Delhi, Mar 30: A Muslim woman from Jammu and Kashmir has donated her savings of Rs 5 lakh, meant for the Hajj pilgrimage, to the RSS-affiliated 'Sewa Bharati' after apparently being "impressed with the welfare work" done by the outfit amid the lockdown due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Khalida Begum, 87, who saved Rs 5 lakh for Hajj, was forced to defer her plans for the pilgrimage due to the lockdown.

Hajj is the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, the holiest city of Muslims.

"Khalida Begum ji was impressed with the welfare work done by the Sewa Bharati in Jammu and Kashmir during the tough time the country is passing through due to sudden outbreak of COVID-19 and decided to donate Rs 5 lakh to the organisation," Arun Anand, head of RSS media wing Indraprastha Vishwa Samvad Kendra (IVSK), said.

The woman wants that this money should be used by the community service organisation Sewa Bharati for the poor and the needy in Jammu and Kashmir. She had saved this amount for performing Hajj, plans for which she deferred due to the present situation, Anand said.

"Khalida Begum ji was among the first few women in Jammu and Kashmir who got educated in a convent. She is the daughter-in-law of Colonel Peer Mohd Khan, who was president of the Jana Sangh," he said.

Jana Sangh was also an associate of RSS and later became the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Anand said despite her age, she had been very active in welfare works for the women and the downtrodden in Jammu and Kashmir. Her son, Farooq Khan, a retired IPS officer, is presently serving as an adviser to the Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor.

Meanwhile, since the lockdown was announced, Sewa Bharati volunteers across the country have been providing food and other essential items to the needy. The Sangh-affiliate's volunteers were seen on Saturday managing crowd and providing food to them at the Anand Vihar bus terminal in Delhi.

Mangaluru, Jan 9: Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner has lodged a complaint with the Police alleging that his signature was forged in a holiday circular for schools and colleges in the district during National General Strike called by Trade Unions.

It may be recalled that the district administration had declared a holiday for all educational institutions on December 20 and 21 in the backdrop of the December 19 violence.

A few miscreants had forged this order and circulated it on social media stating that a holiday had been declared for schools and colleges in the district on January 8.

Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 29: Twenty more people were

detected with coronavirus in Kerala on Saturday, taking the total number of those undergoing treatment for the deadly infection to 181, Health Minister K K Shailaja said.

While Kannur reported eight cases, Kasaragod 7, Thiruvananthapuram, Ernkulam, Thrissur, Palakad and Malappuram reported one case each, Shailaja said in a statement here.

Of the 20 people, 18 had come from abroad and two others had been infected through contact.

The man found positive here was in the isolation ICU of the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College hospital, while one positive case from Ernakulam was a health worker.

The samples of four persons who were under treatment at Pathnamthitta were found negative.

At least, 1,41,211 people are under observation across the state, the Minister addd.