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Friday,
December 20, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Cabinet
meeting put off to December 26? Heavy
snowfall cuts off Valley Jawan
killed, 3 hurt in attack by ultras
The
police investigates at the Lakhdata Bazar branch of Jammu and Kashmir
Bank
where an armed robber looted Rs 2.6 lakh on Thursday. —
PTI photo |
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J&K
Govt to set up IT Dept soon
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Cabinet
meeting put off to December 26? Jammu, December 19 Reports said that few Cabinet colleagues of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed wanted time to go through the list of police officers to be shifted and those awaiting promotions. According to one minister, “we did not know in detail anything about the performance and professional integrity of several police officers, so we sought time to get a feedback on the merits of each case. Another issue that resulted in the postponement was divergence of views among some Cabinet ministers the way some DIG rank officers were being promoted. At present nine posts of IG are vacant and the government has plans to fill four or five. Some ministers are said to be against pick and choose method. They wanted either to fill all nine posts or defer the promotions. They argued that even if an officer was promoted IG after one to five months he was entitled to receive all promotion related benefits with retrospective effect. Hence there was no point in delaying the promotion of the officers who had become entitled to it. Another reason being given is that the transfers of 39 bureaucrats, ordered by the Cabinet yesterday, had left many senior functionaries of the state administration unhappy. For instance some of the Congress leaders seemed to be unhappy over posting of two officers as Deputy Commissioners who during the recent Assembly poll were transferred under the directions of the Election Commission for their partisan role. Similarly several senior IAS officers, including Mr Amit Kushari, Ms Sonali Kumar and Mr N.R. Gupta have not been allotted the portfolios according to their seniority. Mr N.R. Gupta as Principal Secretary General Administration Department is not supposed to take any decision on his own. He has to put up his recommendations to the Chief Secretary for approval. Meanwhile, several Congress leaders are said to have favoured referring the matters connected with shake-up in the civil, the police and Forest sectors to the Coordination Committee, decks were being cleared for its formation. Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, is scheduled to visit Delhi tomorrow to finalise the details about the Coordination Committee being set up to monitor the coalition government. The PCC Chief, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, is likely to head the Committee after several senior Congress leaders opposed the idea of Prof Bhim Singh, Chairman, Panthers Party, that he should be made chairman of the committee. The Mufti is also expected to finalise the cabinet expansion with senior Congress leaders who are yet to submit the list of party legislators to be inducted in the Council of Ministers. |
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Schemes for J&K destitutes
Jammu, December 19 Briefing newspersons, the Chief Secretary, Dr S.S. Bloeria, said the monthly pension for disabled persons had been increased from Rs 200 to Rs 300. The Cabinet has also decided to relax the eligibility criteria for the grant of pre-matric scholarships to disabled students. The number of beneficiaries would increase from 331 to 25,000. The monthly scale of pre-matric scholarship for physically handicapped students had been increased from Rs 10 to Rs 25, Rs 12 to Rs 40 and Rs 15 to Rs 50 to buy stationery items. The decision would impose an additional financial burden of Rs 84 lakh. The Cabinet had also ordered the simplification of various schemes under the Integrated Social Security Scheme and National Old Age Pension Scheme. By removing the disparity in the scale of old age pension for men and women under the National Old Age Pension Scheme and Integrated Social Security Scheme, the Cabinet decided that henceforth old age pension would be paid at the uniform rate of Rs 200 per month. This scheme would now be called Old Age Pension Scheme. Similarly, widows, divorcees and destitute women would now be paid a uniform pension of Rs 200 under the new scheme of social assistance to women in distress. The Cabinet also decided that all handicapped persons, irrespective of their age, would be clubbed together and paid relief uniformally under the scheme of financial assistance to physically-challanged people. Earlier, financial assistance used to be paid at different rates of Rs 150 and Rs 75. Now all categories would get the enhanced rate of Rs 200. The increase would be met by the state government from its funds.
UNI |
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Heavy snowfall cuts off Valley Srinagar, December 19 The highway, the only link between the Valley and the rest of the country was closed for vehicular traffic after snowfall between Qazigund and Jawahar Tunnel since last night, official sources said. Meanwhile, the plains in the Valley received the winter’s first rainfall. A steady downpour started early this morning in the lower reaches and according to the Met office, is likely to continue for a few days. Snowfall was recorded in the upper reaches since last night. The Met office said stronger western disturbances from the Persian Gulf had caused the snowfall and the steady downpour. It forecast rain and snow for the next few days. |
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Jawan killed, 3 hurt in attack by ultras
Jammu, December 19 Sources today said at around 11.30 p.m. yesterday, a group of militants descended from the nearby hills and managed to reach near the post under cover of darkness. As soon as they reached their target area, they hurled Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs) in quick succession towards the post, killing one jawan and seriously wounding three others, they added. In the following gunbattle, which lasted a couple of hours, both sides traded heavy fire following which the militants escaped into the nearby hills. The identity of the deceased and the wounded jawans was yet to be ascertained, the sources said and added that a search operation had been launched to arrest the fleeing militants. Meanwhile, the Poonch district administration has imposed night curfew in Surankote tehsil and two panchayats of Haveli tehsil of the district from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., official sources said here today. The sources said the order of the District Magistrate, Poonch, would remain in force for a period of three months with immediate effect. The two panchayats of Haveli included in the order are Seri Khawaja and Shiendara, they said. SRINAGAR: Militants attacked the house of a Congress leader and a senior police officer and opened fire on a security patrol wounding two jawans in the Kashmir Valley, official sources said on Thursday. The militants carried out a grenade attack on the house of Congress leader Mohammad Shafi Bandey at Shopian in Pulwama district in South Kashmir on Thursday, the sources said. The grenade exploded in the compound of the house causing no damage or casualty. Mr Bandey, who unsuccessfully contested the last Assembly elections, was not present at his house at the time of the attack, the sources said. In another attack, militants hurled a grenade at the house of a subdivisional police officer at Bijbehara in Anantnag district last night, but no one was hurt in the blast, the sources said. Two security personnel were injured when militants opened fire on a security patrol at Sopore Chowk in Baramula district on Thursday, the sources said, adding that security personnel fired in retaliation but the militants escaped.
UNI, PTI |
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Rs 2.6 lakh looted from bank Jammu, December 19 The police said three masked robbers entered the bank and fired at security guard Seeta Ram, injuring him. They then barged into the bank and threatened the staff at gun-point, asking them to hand over the cash. Thereafter they decamped with Rs 2.6 lakh.
UNI |
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J&K Govt to set up IT Dept soon Jammu, December 19 Mr B.R. Singh, Principal Secretary to the Government, Science and Technology Department, will hold the additional charge of the Information Technology Department. |
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