Jammu, March 10
The Centre may have formulated a number of schemes to uplift the marginalised and weaker sections of the society, but due to the failure on part of the authorities that the benefit of these schemes has failed to reach these families.

The state government admitted on the floor of the Legislative Assembly that authorities had organised only two awareness camps in one year to educate BPL families about schemes meant for them.

In a written reply to the question from National Conference MLA Bimla Luthra regarding measures taken to conduct awareness programmes in the state to apprise the BPL families about welfare schemes, the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution minister Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan said, "Two awareness camps are organised in each block to enlighten the BPL population about the schemes launched by the government for their upliftment."

On including deserving families in the BPL category, he said it will take nearly 10 months to complete the new economic census. "The Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India, has issued new guidelines for conducting Socio-Economic and Caste Census in the country, including the state. Although there is pressing demand of including deserving poor families in the BPL lists as many influential people are taking benefits of the schemes meant for the marginalised sections of the society, yet the state government has been waiting for the completion of the socio-economic survey."

According to latest Economic Survey Report tabled by the state government in the Legislative Assembly last week, "BPL Estimated Ration in J&K has arrived at 21.63 per cent (24.21 lakh persons)," he said. The report mentions that 22 lakh people falling in the BPL category were from rural areas while 2.21 lakh persons lived in urban areas.

As per the record of the CAPD department, there were 42,340 BPL families in Jammu district. Kishtwar, Kupwara, Bandipora, Reasi, Poonch, Ramban and Kargil districts figured as the seven poorest districts of the state as per the BPL Household Count Ration, having more than 35 per cent estimated BPL households falling in the range between 42.73 and 35.87 per cent. 

Jammu, March 10
Maha Shivratri festival was celebrated with religious fervour and gaiety across the Jammu region today. Cave shrines and ancient temples of Lord Shiva witnessed a heavy rush of devotees.

All shrines of Lord Shiva, including ancient temples were decorated with colourful lights and buntings. The temples witnessed huge rush as devotees in thousands thronged to offer prayers since early morning. Devotees also took a holy dip at Harki Pouri in Tawi River and at Purmandal.

Serpentine queues were seen at the famous Lord Shiva temples at Aap Shambhu temple at Roopnagar, Peerkho, Ranbireshwar temple at Shalamar and Purmandal.

Special prayers were held. Many devotees observed a fast today.

Shivratri, which means the great night of Lord Shiva or the night of Shiva--holds immense importance in the Hindu religion and the festival celebrates the marriage of Lord Shiva and Parvati.

At some places, devotees had a verbal spat with policemen owing to the delay in paying obeisance at temples and other shrines. A large number of social organisations and devotees of Lord Shiva also organised langars or community kitchens outside city temples. The government also set up mobile outlets to sell a rare fish to the Kashmiri Pandits living at migrant camps. The fisheries department had begun the sale last year. The mobile outlets were set up across the state "in areas where Kashmiri Pandits live". However, the state administration had made elaborate arrangements to ensure peaceful and incident-free celebrations of the festival.

Meanwhile, heavy rush was witnessed at the temples of Lord Shiva in other parts of the state as well.

Ransoo, March 10
Over 2 lakh devotees from various parts of the country paid obeisance at the historic Shiv Khori cave shrine at Sanger hills near Ransoo village in Reasi during the first two days of the mela on the occasion of Shivratri today.

Minister for Planning and Development, Labour and Employment, Ajay Sadhotra also paid obeisance at the historic Shiv Khori shrine on Shivratri and prayed for peace and prosperity of the state.

The minister said efforts were being made to promote and beautify Shiv Khori Shrine.

Sadhotra said the government was committed to develop pilgrim tourism destinations in the state and efforts were being made to provide basic facilities to the pilgrims for pilgrimage.

A comprehensive tourist circuit connecting various destinations having tourism potential is being chalked out, he added. A colourful cultural programme was held at the base camp at Ransoo.

Batote, March 10
Ramban MLA Ashok Kumar has accused the district administration of failing to provide facilities such as health, potable water and electricity to the victims of the recent landslide in Batote. During his visit today, he said help had not reached more than 18 families which were left homeless even after a week of the landslide at Rakhjudog panchayat in Batote on March 4.

The displaced families complained to him of no power supply here since the 63-KVA transformer got damaged more than a month ago and the collapse of electricity poles in the recent landslide has made matters worse for the victims. They spend powerless nights in tents in a wild animal infested area in the chill. Though the Army had erected eight tents for the victims but the administration is yet to erect the four tents as promise. The victims are forced to use water from the local nullah. An elderly victim was rushed to the Batote hospital due to fever. He condemned the categorisation of the 18 affected families into three categories based on the extent of the damage to their houses irrespective of the fact that all those houses were still unsafe to live-in.

He demanded Rs 5,000 relief for the 20 families from the National Calamity Relief Fund. He said two more houses had been damaged due to the landslide.

Batote, March 10
Hospitals designated as 'accident hospitals' on the accident-prone NH 44 have become a casualty to government apathy. Medical help is crucial on the accident-prone Jammu-Srinagar NH-44 but hospitals on this killer stretch are in a dilapidated condition and thus not of much help in life threatening situations when every second counts to save the life of an accident victim.

Thanks to political or bureaucratic interference, money-minded doctors serving their personal interests, the services in these 'accident hospitals' along the highway in Ramban district are inadequate.

Realising their importance, the hospitals at Batote, Ramban and Banihal beside the national highway, were designated as 'accident hospitals' and provided with operation theatres and services of surgeons, orthopaedics, anaesthetists, radiologists and other allied facilities were provided. The authorities have so far failed to provide these facilities at these hospitals.

"Lack of services of doctors here as well as medical services which were supposed to be available here, has cost many accident victims their lives," said Sanjay Gupta, Batote Beopar Mandal president said.

He highlighted the problems before Deputy Director (Hq), Jammu, Dr BR Sharma, at a recent meeting in this regard.

Sources said only 600 doctors were available against 1,300 posts in Jammu region comprising 10 districts. "Due to staff crunch and with the manifold increase in the number of patients, the doctors here have been under tremendous stress," said Dr Sharma.

“Without the availability of anaesthetists in these hospitals at these districts, operation theatres and surgeons are meaningless," he said.

He said the blood bank sanctioned to be established at Ramban years ago, has been non-functional as it is yet to be authorised. It needs the required infrastructure and blood storage facilities at Batote.

Since the transfer of both ophthalmic assistants from the hospital in Batote last year, the section had been lying closed, he said.

He said 12 critical care ambulances out of 25 have been lying unused in Jammu province for past several years as the tendering process got delayed.

Residents also resent that doctors here get shifted without anyone to replace them.

Batote, March 10
Mushqoor Ahmed of Bhartund, Doda, was swept away in Mohu-Mangat stream near Nachlana in Banihal on Friday evening and is yet to be traced. Soldiers of the Rashtriya Rifles saved another boy Mohd Yasin of the same area from drowning. The two boys were students of Markazi Talimul Quran Wal Sunnah Madrasa and were washing clothes in the stream near Nachlana.

Soldiers at the nearby RR battalion centre rescued Yasin but Mushqoor remained untraced till last reports.

Rajouri, March 10
In consultations with senior police officers, the Superintendent of Police, Rajouri, Mubassir Litifi, today ordered a major reshuffle at the level of police stations and police posts on Rajouri.

These officials are hereby transferred to the places as shown against each with immediate effect. Inspector Zakir Shaheen is now SHO police station Thanamandi , Inspector Madan Lal Sharma as SHO, police station, Budhal, Inspector Yash Paul Singh appointed as SHO Nowshera, Inspector Dharminder Singh Katoch as SHO, police station Sunderbani, Inspector Vikram Parihar appointed as SHO, police station, Dharamsal and police station, Kalakote, Sub inspector Bashir Ahmed appointed as Police Station Thanamandi and PS Kandi as SHO, SI Mohd Rafiq Khan police Station Kandi and SI Sureshwer Dev Singh as PS Budhal, SI Tilak Raj appointed as in charge Police Post, Taryath, SI Naresh Sharma PP Lamberi as I/C, SI Iqbal Singh PP Bhawani as I/C, SI Urfan Wani PP Taryath, PP Chingus as I/C, SI Sanjeet Sharma PP Lamberi, PP Khawas as I/C, SI Jahangir Hussain PP Peeri, ASI Subash Chander PP Lamberi PP Lam as I/C ASI Jasbir Singh PP Khawas.—OC

Jammu, March 10
The much-talked about proposal of the re-organisation of J&K State Sports Council, put forth by the committee in the recently held General Council Meeting, had also mentioned that there was acute shortage of staff in the Sports Council at various levels, particularly coaches at the district level.

Sources in the council said it was decided in the crucial meeting that the proposal of the re-organisation of the council be referred to a committee comprising Administrative Secretaries of Finance Department, Youth Services and Sports and Secretary, State Sports Council, for necessary recommendations in the matter.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had desired that the recommendations should be made within one month and tabled in the next council meeting.

The Secretary, State Sports Council, Daleep Thusu had apprised the house that despite increased work load, the council establishment, especially the need 
of coaches at various levels, had by and large remained stagnant for the last 40 years.

It was further informed in the meeting that committee had proposed 70 members of staff at the state level against the existing 54, 119 at the divisional level against the existing 55 and 560 against the present strength of 321 at the district level. It further added that staff had been mostly increased in coaching wing, which involved financial implications of Rs 764 lakh on salary component.

The house observed that all these factors had resulted in inadequate supervision at the ground level, inadequate coaching facilities to the budding youth and inadequate administrative support in the Sports Council.

Sources added that some members of the Sports Council had pointed out that coaches who had been given managerial cadre had no time to impart coaching to the budding youth and it had badly affected the coaching programmes. The Chief Minister, president of the State Sports Council, had also desired that coaches should not be given responsibility of managerial position, otherwise it would defeat the purpose of recruiting coaches, sources added.

However, the proposal for re-constitution of the standing committee of the council was also approved wherein the Sports Minister will be its chairman, Administrative Secretary of Youth Services and Sports will be the Member while Administrative Secretaries of Finance and Planning Department will be the permanent invitees.

Secretary, State Sports Council and Joint Secretaries are also the members of this committee while six members of the Sports Council (three each from Jammu/Kashmir Province of the state to be nominated by Vice-President of autonomous sports body).

Jammu, March 10
PC Sharma was unanimously re-elected as the president of the J&K Taekwondo Association (JKTA) for a period of four years from 2013 to 2017. He was elected in the general assembly meeting of JKTA, held to re-constitute the new team.

Nissar Hussain, Ravi Sharma, Ranjeet Kalra, Shahnawaz Choudhary were elected as vice-presidents, DN Pangotra and Zaheer Abbas Khan were elected as general secretary and treasurer respectively.

Syed Ashaq Hussain and Rajesh Kumar were elected as joint secretaries while Ajaz Khan, Jai Raj, Sanjay Singh Rathore, Dr Khalid Mehraj and Anuj Mahajan were also elected as members.

Ajay Jandial was the Returning Officer whereas Jasbir Singh Gill was the Observer from the Taekwondo Federation of India. Dushyant Sharma was the Observer from Jammu and Kashmir Olympic Association (JKOA).

Rajouri, March 10
As a part of a series of programmes being organised by the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, its sub-office at Rajouri today organised a seminar on Sufi poet of Pahari and Gojri language, Sain Quader Bakah at the SR College of Competition.

Farooq Shah Bukhri, project officer, Rajouri, presided over the programme. In his presidential speech, he emphasised upon the need to arrange such programmes at school and collage level, with the objective to impart awareness and to imbibe poetic inspiration among youth. 

Jammu, March 10
The Natrang staged a Hindi play “Aandolan” at Natrang Studio Theatre, Kachi Chawni, in its weekly Sunday Theatre Series today. The play was written by Harsharan Singh and directed by Neeraj Kant.

“Aandolan” presented the situation of a protest from the perspective of different sections of the society. For some, it was a genuine outburst of emotions while few though it to be a futile activity.

Many were not convinced with its becoming successful and for few it was a mere high-voltage drama while for some it was an opportunity to fulfil their own vested interests.

In this play, some women were protesting against the killing of a woman by her husband. They were demanding stern action against him. The situation was presented before the audience from the perspective of a neighbourhood home, where a family and some uninvited guests gave their own take on the situation.

The lady in the home was concerned about the situation but did not want to go out while her husband was ‘enjoying’ the situation from his window.

Even some mediapersons came to their home to get a ‘better view’ of the location from the top window.

A leader also walked in to make a speech from the house and get political mileage out of the situation.

Natrang actors who performed in the play included Rahul Singh, Anita Dhar, Ashwani Bali, Aarti Singh, Mohammad Yaseen and Ankush Lakhnotra. Lights were designed and executed by Neeraj Kant while the show was coordinated by Sumeet Sharma.

Rajouri, March 10
An artificial limb camp was organised by 150 GH, under the aegis of 25 Infantry Division, for differently-abled people who had lost their limbs due to mine blasts or other actions in various incidents across the border district of Rajouri.

A total of 60 people benefitted from the camp, out of which 20 were fitted with an artificial limb (Jaipur foot), 20 were given callipers, five were issued wheel chairs and 15 were given crutches.

Earlier, a team of experts from Ratnanidhi Charitable Trust, Mumbai, an NGO working for the differently-abled people, had come to Rajouri and screened those needing help at 150 GH on 20th December, 2012 and had taken the measurements and fittings of the prosthetics.

The local population expressed their gratitude to the Army for conducting the camp and delivering quality medical care and help to the people.

Jammu, March 10
The two-day rural sports festival being organised by the Department of Youth Services and Sports (DYSS) began at Mahal Shahan in Ramgarh today. Chief guest JP Singh, Director, Department of Youth Services and Sports declared the festival open.

District Youth Services and Sports Officer, Samba, Jarpal Singh, said 15 teams were taking part in volleyball and eight teams were taking part in kabaddi and tug-of-war competitions. He also apprised the youth about the importance of sports in life.

In the events held today, Nanga panchayat got the better of Dug Chhani panchayat by 38 points in kabaddi whereas Mahal Shahan panchayat overcame Chack Balotran panchayat by 23 points. Swankha panchayat toppled Rakh Abtal by 34 points.

In volleyball, Gho Brahmana panchayat defeated Nanga panchayat by 2-0 sets while Dug Burmola beat Tiger Club, Ramgarh, by 2-1 sets, Swankha panchayat beat Chack Chatta panchayat by 2-0 sets and Panchayat Abtal Chowni pipped Chack Balotran by 2-0 sets.

In the tug -of-war competition, Mahal Shahan panchayat beat Swankha panchayat.

Another rural sports festival concluded at Dera Baba Banda Bahadur in Reasi today. At the valedictory function, the chief guest DYSS director Jai Pal Singh gave away prizes to the winners.

Results: Kabbadi-Kalka Sports Club, Reasi, Ist and Salal Sports Club, 2nd. Volleyball: Kalka Sports Club Reasi, Ist and Jyotipuram Sports Club, 2nd.

Tug- of-war: Kalka Sports Club Reasi, Ist and Jyotipuram Sports Club, 2nd.

Wrestling: 42 kg: Anish Kumar, Ist and Raj Kumar, 2nd. 48 kg: Saif Ali (Panthal), Ist and Jagdev Singh (Talwara), 2nd. 67 kg: Sanjay Singh (Talwara), Ist and Naved Singh (KSC), 2nd. 82 kg: Balbir Singh (Jyotipuram), Ist and Jagdev Singh (KSC), 2nd. Shot Put: Devinder Singh (KSC), Ist; Sanjay Singh (Talwara), 2nd and Shafiq Malik (Jyotipuram), 3rd.

Jammu, March 10
The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of ETT Colleges of J&K, which is on an indefinite strike, demanded a probe into the alleged misdeeds of the outgoing Chairman of the J&K State Board of School Education (JKBOSE).

The association has suspended its programme of chain hunger strike after the removal of the chairman. However, the JAC said the ongoing indefinite and peaceful dharna would continue on the JK Board premises till the resolution of the long-pending issue of early exams of ETT students.

It also appealed to the Chief Minister to probe into the alleged misdeeds of the outgoing BOSE Chairman during his tenure, as the board Secretary and Chairman respectively, through an independent agency.

The JAC also stressed upon the need of appointing a genuine candidate as the new BOSE Chairman and Secretary. Those who spoke on the occasion included Dr Hari Dutt Shishu, Deep Singh, Pitamber Singh, Rakesh Pant and Yashwant Parihar.

Jammu, March 10
Dream Care Playway School, Rehari Colony, today celebrated its Annual Day at Police Auditorium, Gulshan Ground, here. Raman Bhalla, Minister for Housing, Horticulture and Culture was the chief guest on the occasion while Savita Bakshi, Additional Secretary, Art and Language Cultural Academy was the guest of honour.

The function started with the lighting of traditional lamp followed by Saraswati Vandana. Students presented colourful cultural items like Rajasthani Dance and Dogri Dance to enthral the audience. A fancy show was also organised by the tiny tots to mark the occasion.

The chief guest in his address lauded the efforts of the school management to impart quality education. Savita Bakshi also spoke on the occasion. Later, prizes were distributed among the students. Prominent among others who were present on the occasion included Jagdish Gupta, chairman of the school, Jasbir Singh, chairman and Nidhi Gupta, principal, Unique Higher Secondary School, Gadi Garh, Prem Nath, Krishan Kumar and Usha Prem.