Khour (Akhnoor), January 31
Even as the NC and the PDP are demanding more concession for the state, the BJP today warned to repeat the same agitation which was launched by the erstwhile Praja Parishad and the Jan Sangh way back in 1952 against special status of the state.

Addressing a function, which was organised to pay tributes to seven Jan Sangh activists who were killed in police firing during the ‘Ek Vidhan, Ek Pardhan and Ek Nishan’ agitation on January 31, 1953, BJP leaders and workers today took pledge not to allow the government to restore pre-1953 position in the state as demanded by the NC.

Like other parts of the Jammu region, seven Jan Sangh workers were killed at border village of Jourian when the police resorted to firing on people who were trying to hoist the national flag by removing flag of the state. Seven persons namely Waryam Singh, Basant Ram, Baldev Singh, Mela Ram, Sain Singh, Nanak Chand and Trilok Singh were killed in the firing. Every year people of this belt pay tributes to these martyrs. Under the leadership of Prem Nath Dogra the erstwhile Jan Sangh had launched a massive movement against special status to the state.

“Workers of the Jan Sangh had made supreme sacrifices for the total integration of state with rest of the country and we would not allow any attempt to restore the same position which prevailed in the state before 1953”, asserted state BJP president Shamsher Singh Manhas.

He reminded that before 1953, there was a permit system in the state and no persons from other parts of the country were allowed to enter the region without a permit. “The Chief Minister of this state was called Prime Minister and most of the central laws were not applicable in the state,” he further said and recounted it was due to the sacrifices of party workers at that time that the permit system was abolished and some central laws were implemented. He especially mentioned that founder of Jan Sangh Dr Shayama Parshad Mukherjee had laid down his life for the total integration of the state.

“Some political parties have been demanding restoration of the pre-53 position”, he cautioned but asserted that BJP workers were strong enough to frustrate evil designs of such forces. The BJP president mentioned that recommendations of the Working Group’s report were indications of the nefarious designs of such forces and it was need of the hour that all nationalist forces should unitedly face this challenge of Kashmir-centric and pro-secessionist forces.

While taking a pledge to oppose designs of anti-national forces, BJP leaders and workers pointed out that unlike other parts of the country, the state still had its own flag. They further pledged to work assiduously to the abrogation of the Article 370. 

Jammu, January 31
Dubbing the present coalition as “zero performance government”, working chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party Harsh Dev Singh today said the regime had failed completely on all fronts due to lack of experience of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

“The young Chief Minister requires proper training to handle a sensitive state like Jammu and Kashmir,” he said while addressing a press conference here. He added performance of the government had been affected due to internal bickering. “This is not a coalition but a collusion regime where parties lack consensus on important issues,” he observed, adding that even there were serious differences within the NC too.

Singh further said the constitutional apparatus of the government had crumbled and development had come to a grinding halt and credibility of the government was at its lowest ebb.

Describing ministers of the ruling coalition as toothless tigers, he said they existed only on papers and had failed in implementing the state as well as centrally sponsored schemes of their respective departments.

“The ministers are experts in self-praise and making loud announcements and pronouncements but the output on the ground is negligible”, he said, adding,

He said the state had already been declared as “tail ender” in the implementation of various centrally sponsored schemes. He further said no implementation took place with respect to the announcements of the CM made during the meeting of the district development board. 

Jammu, January 31
Former Minister and senior leader of the PDP Peer Mohammad Hussain today called upon the party workers to expose anti-people policies being pursued by the state government.

Addressing a function organised by the youth wing of the party, he said since its formation the coalition regime in the state had been misleading people by making false promises. He said the government had failed on all fronts because problems of people had been further compounded after its formation.

“Performance of this regime so far has been zero. Nothing concrete is visible on ground, except photo sessions and press releases,” he observed, adding it was due to the wrong policies of the ruling coalition that people had been facing hardship.

The PDP leader warned that the party activists would not remain mute spectators to anti-people policies of the government. He asserted the party would take problems faced by masses onto the streets to force the government to take some concrete steps.

The former minister said every section of the society had been bearing the brunt of the wrong policies of the government. He especially mentioned that most parts of the state had been confronting with the shortage of ration. “On the one hand, prices of essential commodities have been increasing with each passing day, while on the other ration is not available on government-run depots”, he regretted and asked the party workers to effectively highlight this problem.

MLA Darhal Choudhary Zulfikar Ali asked people to compare the three-year regime of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed with the present government. He said during his tenure Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had set an example of good governance. “The PDP-led regime has not only strengthened the reconciliation process but also carved out a path of equitable development,” he said and asked the party workers to educate masses about policies and programmes of the party.

Srinagar: The PDP on Sunday demanded strong action against the unscrupulous elements who had been indulging in the manufacture of fake saffron.

A spokesperson of the party said some people had been found producing fake and spurious saffron and selling it as a product of Kashmir, which had spelt disaster for the world- famous saffron industry and threatened to snatch livelihood of thousands of growers.

He alleged people of Pampore, which is reputed for the production of the world’s best saffron, had been expressing concern and anger over the fraud but the state government had failed to take any action so far.

The new threat posed by spurious saffron could deal a deadly blow to the industry, if the administration took strong action against the culprits, he added.

Jammu, January 31
Nomadic Gujjars and Bakerwals have lost the rare, traditional, indigenous and unique species of Yarkandi-Bakerwali horse during the past few years and three other rare native species of horses also face the same threats, a study conducted by the Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation stated.

Releasing the study, secretary of the Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation Dr. Javed Rahi said: “In the past 40 years, the nomadic Gujjars have lost at least a dozen of rare indigenous species, including Yarkandi-Bakerwali horse idiosyncratic with shepherd Bakerwals - and three other species called Bharssi, Janskari and Kaliani are also facing the threat of becoming extinct.

He said Yarkandi-Bakerwali horse was distinctive with migratory Gujjars since 500 AD when they migrated towards India and settled here in the Himalayan region.

As per the study, the unique spices of Yarkandi-Bakerwali horse had almost extinct due to the wrong policies of the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) under the Union Ministry of Agriculture, who introduced certain new breeds to get more results in the Himalayan Belts. “We have lost this species since early 70s,” the study said.

The study observed: “Most of Gujjars and Bakerwals, who are unhappy with new species available after cross-breeding of their livestock, wish to switch over to their traditional breeds, but such species do not exist anywhere in the Himalayan belt of India.”

In same difficult areas of the Himalayan region, some of the new breeds of horses have almost failed to deliver the expected results. Meanwhile, the rare species, which were for mountainous and cold regions of the area, had been finished to take the place, the study said.

Jammu, January 31
The Progressive Students Association (PSA) today strongly criticised the state government's proposal to move a Bill in the coming Budget session by which salaries of the MLAs and MLCs would be raised from Rs 20,000 to 60,000, which is excluding allowances and freebies.

While addressing a state committee meeting held today in Jammu University, Rahul Bahu, president of the PSA said the government was adopting anti-people policies and this coming bill was a blot on the face of common man.

The PSA threatened the state government that if this bill would be passed, it would launch a massive agitation against it.

“It is ironic that in our state the salary of an MLA is more as compared to an MP of our country by Rs 8,000,” said Rahul.

Jammu, January 31
Minister for Higher Education, Labour and Employment Abdul Gani Malik, who is also the chairman of the Board of Trustees, J&K Employees Provident Fund Organisation, has emphasised for bringing efficiency in clearing the backlog of annual account statements and adhering to financial discipline.

The Minister said this while chairing the 72nd meeting of the Board of Trustees, J&K Employees Provident Fund Organisation.

Provident Fund commissioner Abdul Hamid, Labour and Employment secretary Farooq Ahmad and senior officers of the Industries and Finance Department were also present in the meeting.

He said Rs 4.63 crore were approved as Budget estimate for 2010-11 and Rs 3.68 crore as the revised estimate for the current financial year.

Threadbare discussions were held on infrastructure development, computerisation of Provident Fund accounts, completion of backlog of annual account statements, implementation of Provident Fund Act in respect of organised and unorganised sectors and issuing of schedules, during the meeting.

A committee headed by the commissioner, Provident Fund J&K, with members from the Finance, Labour and Employment Departments will submit its report within one month regarding the infrastructure development and recruitment of staff in the organisation to make it more efficient and viable.

The committee will also workout the plan for utilising the forfeiture account for the benefit of the employees and putting it to productive use.

The Minister was informed that Rs 3.19 crore were received on account of administrative and inspection charges and 8,944 establishments had been brought under the purview of the Employees Provident Fund Act in the state, including 4,150 units in Kashmir division and 4,794 units in Jammu division.

Jammu, January 31
The Natrang converted a Dogri short-story into a distinguished theatrical experience in its Sunday theatre series here today.Diary Kuse Lok Naath Di, a Dogri play, was based on the story written by Prof. Madan Mohan Sharma, a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award. The play was directed by Dimple Sharma.

The title of the play itself suggests that it revolves around the diary of Lok Nath. The writer’s son finds a diary from a pack and takes it to his home. The cover of the diary was so tempting and attractive that the writer could not resist going through it, knowingly that peeping into someone’s personal affairs is not a good habit. However, reading the pages of the diary, he finds very interesting and dramatic life account of Lok Nath.

Whenever there was any unusual happening in the life of Lok Nath, he has not forgotten to pen it down. The life of Lok Nath is portrayed in such an interesting manner that people identify with each situation and turn of his life. The opening pages finds Lok Nath disillusioned with everyone around him even to the extent that he has lost faith in God.