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Govt working on plan for return of Kashmiri Pandits
Omar a cruel ruler surrounded by sycophants: Mehbooba
Legislative Assembly |
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Hotel at Mubarak Mandi Complex
Panchayat Poll
No OBCs in J&K Reservation Act, says minister
Serve society with zeal, NGOs urged
Ministers’ travels cost exchequer Rs 2.04 cr
Lathicharge on Terror-hit
Body of newborn found
Anti-encroachment drive on HC order Bus services between Leh, Panamic sought Army rescues stranded passengers
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Govt working on plan for return of Kashmiri Pandits
Jammu, March 22 “The creation of economic opportunities for the Kashmiri Pandit youth and reservation in government jobs are being focused as meaningful incentives to the community to encourage them to return to the Valley in a conducive and peaceful atmosphere,” he said. Another important work was the uplift of those Pandits, who did not migrate from the Valley during the militancy period, he said. Omar added that they were bereft of the benefits available to the migrant Kashmiri Pandits under the Prime Minister Reconstruction Programme and other schemes. Talking to a group of students from the University of Chicago, USA, which was currently working on a research project on Kashmiri Pandits, Omar said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently inaugurated a satellite township of two-room tenements at Jagti in Nagrota for the Kashmiri Pandit migrants living in camps in Jammu. He said about 2,500 Kashmiri Pandit youths had been given jobs in the Valley and job orders for an equal number was in the pipeline. “This is a part of the initiative taken to encourage the youth to return to the Valley and get involved in the economic and life activities,” Omar added. He said the transit accommodation and other required facilities had also been put in place for the youth of the community. The Chief Minister enumerated other measures and steps afoot to create a conducive atmosphere for the return of Kashmiri Pandits to the Valley. “There has been tremendous improvement in the situation since the Kashmiri Pandits migrated from the Valley. However, the complete restoration of peace and the total elimination of fear psychosis have to be worked out,” he said. The Chief Minister said the government was doing whatever possible with the assistance of the Centre to make effective progress in this regard. “About 3 lakh Kashmiri Pandits visited Mela Kheer Bhawani in the Valley last year. Hopefully, this trend will further improve and give a boost to the confidence of Kashmiri Pandits to return to the Valley,” he added. The University of Jammu is hosting a group of students from the University of Chicago and assisting them in their research project on Kashmiri Pandit migrants. |
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Omar a cruel ruler surrounded by sycophants: Mehbooba
Jammu, March 22 Initiating a discussion on the functioning of the departments under Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in the Legislative Assembly here today, Mehbooba minced no words in attacking Omar and pinpointing the “failures of the coalition regime”. “You are holding the Planning Department also, but discrimination in the allocation of development funds has been going on unabated,” she told Omar. She added that, “I think he (Omar) has no time to look after this important department because he is always busy on the Twitter”. Lambasting the government for allocating funds for the constituencies to those NC and Congress candidates who lost in the last Assembly elections, Mehbooba said the NC was working on an agenda to remain in power for the next 20 to 30 years. “You are belittling the democratic institutions by adopting such tactics. And this trend, set up by your government, will prove counterproductive for your party also,” she told the Chief Minister. “Today, you are ruling the state and tomorrow you will be on the opposition benches,” she said. Taking a dig at Omar, Mehbooba said, “The nice and young Chief Minister is a very big personality, but he is surrounded by a group of sycophants”. Narrating the tale of a king, who was befooled by some sycophants, she asked Omar to come out of this group to realise the ground situation. Mehbooba said on the one hand, the government had been repeatedly alleging that PDP supporters were involved in stone throwing during the unrest last summer, on the other the government had recruited NC workers in the name of rehabilitating these stone throwers. “If you want to give jobs to youths indulging in stone throwing, the government has to get a list from the PDP, as according to the NC ministers our workers were involved in stone throwing,” she said and accused the government of politicising the recruitment process. Meanwhile, Law and Parliament Affairs Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar intervened and drew the attention of the House towards the statements of PDP legislators, who had praised Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for his works. Mehbooba said, “When the ruler is cruel, who will dare to speak the truth”. “We too have strong desire to praise the Chief Minister, but he must do something praiseworthy,” she said. |
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Legislative Assembly
Jammu, March 22 Minister for Tourism Nawang Rigzin Jora today introduced the Bill to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Registration of Tourist Trade Act, 1978. It proposed to enhance the fine as well as the extent of imprisonment for the violation of the law. The minister, while tabling the Bill, said the existing Act was last amended in the year 1982. “Tourism is the backbone of the economy of the state. In order to safeguard the interests of tourists and deal with the changing practices of trade and changes in lifestyle, the Act is required to be amended,” he said. The minister said in order to strengthen deterrence against the violation of the provisions of the Act and also to protect the interests of tourists to ensure that they were not overcharged for the services rendered or cheated, the fine as well as the jail term for the violations of the law were proposed to be enhanced. A simpler procedure was proposed in the Bill for the fixation of rates for hotels, travels agencies and other tourist services to check overcharging. Keeping in view the complaints regarding overcharging from adventure tourists, it was suggested in the Bill that “the government shall, by a notification in the Government Gazette, fix the rates, which may be charged for the hiring of boats, ponies, river rafts, adventure sports equipment, guides, ski patrols, high altitude porters and trekking porters”. These rates should be fixed on the recommendations of a committee based on the standard of the equipment and the quality of the service provided by the service provider. The Bill, when passed in the Legislative Assembly, would be called the Jammu and Kashmir Registration of Tourist Trade (Amendment) Act, 2011. |
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Systematic plan needed to promote Sanskrit, literature: Governor
Jammu, March 22 The Governor, who is the chairman of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, said the board, which had established a “Gurukul” along the tracks to the shrine, would support the efforts towards the revival and propagation of this classical language. The Governor was addressing the annual day function of the Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan at Kot Bhalwal, near here, today. He observed that many valuable ancient documents in Sanskrit were lying at various places and they needed to be collected and scientifically preserved. He added that there was also a need for quality translation of Sanskrit literature into other languages for reviving Sanskrit literature. Besides, adequate opportunities need to be provided to those who choose to learn this language. Dwelling on the educational scenario in the country during the pre-Independence period and in the early years after 1947, he said by all accounts Sanskrit was one of the oldest among the ancient languages. He said of the 10 centres of the Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan across the country the Kot Bhalwal Centre had been doing a laudable work in teaching, research and promotion of Sanskrit. The Governor congratulated the principal of the sansthan, Prof Vishwa Murti Shastri, on the occasion and hoped that this centre would achieve greater heights in the coming years, considering the zeal and hard work being put in by the faculty and the students. The Governor inaugurated the Vani Vilas Auditorium at the Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan and released its magazine “Shri Vaishnavi”, and another publication “Shivayanam” brought out on the occasion. He gave away prizes to the students, who had excelled in various academic and extra-curricular activities. The Governor wished them a bright future ahead. Earlier, on arrival at the sansthan, the Governor was given a traditional welcome amid chanting of mantras. He was presented a memento by the Vice-Chancellor of the Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, Prof Radha Vallabh Tripathy. Tripathy, in his address, gave details of the functioning of the sansthan and the initiatives being taken for the promotion of Sanskrit. |
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Govt flayed for neglecting Doda, Kishtwar
Jammu, March 22 Addressing mediapersons here today, AITUCC general secretary SK Sharma said the state as well as the Centre had turned a blind eye towards the problems being faced by the working class in Kishtwar, Doda and Ramban districts. People of Doda lagged behind in almost every sphere of life, which was evident from their negligible representation in government services and rampant unemployment in the area, he said. “We appreciate the Centre and state governments for forming the Chenab Valley HE Power Corporation under which three mega projects, namely Pakkal Dul with a capacity of 1,000 MW, Kiru Project with 600 MW capacity and Kwar with 520 MW capacity, are being constructed through a joint venture,” he said. The AITUCC demanded work to be expedited on the 1,020-MW Bursar Project and the 240-MW Karthai Project, which were sanctioned during 2000. The necessary clarification from the Forest Department and other related issues needed to be cleared at the earliest, Sharma said. Furthermore, the local unemployed youth should be given priority in all these projects, he added. Despite the backwardness of the area, one could easily find skilled labour in the district, Sharma said. However, the apathetic attitude of the state government towards the people of the underdeveloped districts had aggravated their problems, he said. He demanded that the Employees’ Provident Funds Act-1952 of the Central government should be implemented in the state as well as the Provident Funds Act of Jammu and Kashmir should be done away with, as it had several deficiencies. |
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Police foils ReT teachers’ march to Civil Secretariat
Jammu, March 22 Led by Vinod Sharma, president of the All Jammu and Kashmir ReT Teachers’ Forum, the protesters tried to march towards the Civil Secretariat, but the police foiled their attempt. The protesting teachers are demanding the regularisation of the services of educational volunteers, who have completed seven years of service, as general line teachers; the consideration of five years of service as ReT for seniority benefits, hike in the honorarium of the ReT teachers up to Rs 7,000 a month, provision of SRO-43 in favour of ReT and education volunteers, a transfer policy for regularised ReT teachers and the implementation of the government order number 115. Exercising restraint, the policemen formed a chain and prevented the protesting teachers from marching towards the Civil Secretariat. They also barricaded the main road leading to Dogra Chowk. Earlier, protesting teachers’ leader Sharma castigated the coalition government for ignoring their genuine demands. “We thought the government will concede to our demands in the Budget session, but nothing positive happened, compelling us to adopt the path of confrontation, he said. He warned the government that they would intensify their agitation if their demands were not fulfilled. “Despite bringing a revolutionary change in the education sector, the government has handed over a raw deal to the ReT teachers,” said Najam Jafri, general secretary of the forum. Prominent among those present on the occasion were Rajesh Singh, Younis Rahi, Lekh Raj Parihar, Sajad Malik, Manzoor Khan, Naresh Sharma, Rishi Kumar and Shahnawaz. |
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Hotel at Mubarak Mandi Complex
Jammu March 22 During a discussion on the functioning of the departments under Chief Minister Omar Abdullah during the second sitting of the Legislative Assembly here today, Minister for Tourism and Culture Nawang Rigzin Jora urged the Speaker to allow him to give a statement on the controversy regarding the setting up of a hotel at the Mubark Mandi complex. He reiterated the government’s commitment to conserve the archaeological and cultural heritage of the state with a special emphasis on the preservation of the historic complex. The minister said keeping in view the concerns expressed by a few legislators in the House over the issue, the government would examine the matter once again. This could include technical, legal, financial and other issues for the conservation and restoration of the complex, he added. Meanwhile, the Mubarak Mandi Heritage Society would be urged to keep on hold the proposal till it was re-examined and the final decision was taken by the governing body. |
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Panchayat Poll
Jammu, March 22 Similarly, in the Uri block of Baramulla district, the last date for filing nominations is March 29, while scrutiny of nominations will be done on March 30. The last date for the withdrawal of candidatures is April 1 and the polling will take place on April 17. The same poll schedule will be followed in the Lar block of Ganderbal district and the Nagam block of Budgam district except that the date for filing nominations in the Nagam block is March 29. In the Phaloo block of Kulgam district, the last date for filing nominations is March 29, while the scrutiny of nominations will take place on March 30. The last date for the withdrawal of nominations is April 1 and the polling will take place on April 17. The same election schedule will be followed in the Chenani block of Udhampur district, Vijaypur block of Samba district and the RS Pura block of Jammu district. |
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No OBCs in J&K Reservation Act, says minister
Jammu, March 22 Replying to a question by BJP legislator Durga Dass in the Legislative Assembly here today, Minister for Social Welfare Sakina Ittoo said the population of OBCs in the state had not been enumerated separately in the Census report of 2001. “There is no list of OBCs framed in the state. However, a list of weak and underprivileged classes under the name of Social Castes has been prepared for which 2 per cent reservation has been fixed,” she said. Sakina said the question of enhancing the reservation from 2 per cent to 27 per cent for OBCs did not arise. “The State Commission for Backward Classes, while deliberating on the issue in 2005, did not agree to enhancing the quota as no consensus could be arrived,” she said.
— TNS |
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Serve society with zeal, NGOs urged
Jammu, March 22 He was addressing a one-day workshop organised by the State Health Society under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), J&K, for mother NGOs, field NGOs and service providers of Nagrota here today. The objective of the workshop was to get a feedback from the NGOs working for the mission about their experiences and grievances, besides working out plans for the better implementation of the flagship national health mission. The minister said the government was making efforts to add new dimensions to the profile of the NGOs in the state. He urged the NGOs to be more transparent, responsive and accountable to the responsibilities entrusted upon them. Sharma added that this was vital for the welfare of society and assured of the government’s full support in this regard. |
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Ministers’ travels cost exchequer Rs 2.04 cr
Jammu, March 22 According to the reply, Rs 1.96 crore was spent on the travels of the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, ministers and ministers of state, while Rs 8.25 lakh was spent on the travels of two chairpersons and five vice-chairpersons of various boards and commissions, as they enjoyed the status of minister of state (MoS). There is no mention about the expenses on the travels of two advisers to Chief Minister, who also enjoyed the status of MoS. The Deputy Chief Minister spent the highest amount of Rs 11.57 lakh on travelling, followed by Rs 10.39 lakh by the Minister for Tourism and Culture and Rs 10.09 lakh by the Minister for Health, it said. |
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Lathicharge on Terror-hit
Jammu, March 22 BJP legislator Jugal Kishore raised the issue in the Assembly and later he was joined by his party MLA Ashok Khajuria, Balwant Singh Mankotia of the Panthers Party and Ashwani Sharma of the JSM. Jugal said instead of providing relief to such people, the government had been adopting oppressive means. Accusing the government of ignoring the militancy-affected people of the region, he said about 8 lakh people in the region had been affected by terrorism. He added that about 10,000 families had migrated from their native places. He added that the government had not taken any step in this regard. The MLAs demanded a reply from the government and later raised slogans and staged a walkout from the House. |
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Body of newborn found
Jammu, March 22 The body had reportedly been mutilated by dogs and as a result the gender of the baby could not be ascertained. There was apprehension that it was a baby girl that was born in the Shri Maharaja Gulab Singh (SMGS) Hospital, which was adjacent to the Directorate of Health Services. A post-mortem was conducted on the body at the Government Medical
College and Hospital here and thereafter it was sent to the hospital’s
mortuary. — TNS |
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Jammu, March 22
