The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Army Chief discusses security scenario with Guv, CM Tribune News Service Jammu, April 23 The Army chief, General Bikram Singh, met Governor NN Vohra at the Raj Bhawan here this evening. During their hour-long meeting, the Governor and the Chief of the Army Staff discussed various matters relating to the internal and external security management. The Army Chief also briefed the Governor about the recently reported movements of Chinese troops in the Ladakh region. Earlier this evening, General Bikram Singh called on Chief Minister Omar Abdullah here. During the meeting various matters relating to the prevailing security situation in the state, including the situation in Ladakh, were discussed in detail, said an official statement issued here this evening. General Bikram Singh briefed the Chief Minister about his current visit to the state. The GOC-in-C, Northern Command, Lt Gen KT Parnaik, and the GOC, 16 Corps, Lt Gen D S Hooda, were also present at the meeting.
	Governor greets people on Mahavir Jayanti Tribune News Service Jammu, April 23 Governor NN Vohra has extended warm greetings to the people on Mahavir Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Lord Mahavira. The Governor described Lord Mahavira as an apostle of truth and righteousness. He said the best way to observe such occasions was to strengthen the bonds of brotherhood, amity, harmony and secular ethos for which the state has been known since centuries. The Governor prayed for peace, progress and prosperity in the state.
	Guv, CM for digital soil mapping to enhance farm productivity Tribune News Service Jammu, April 23 Governor NN Vohra and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah have emphasised the importance of utilising latest techniques for digital soil mapping to determine the best land use and cropping patterns for enhancing agri-productivity on a sustained basis. They observed that the programme needed to be completed on a time-bound basis. Vohra and Omar were addressing the 24th University Council meeting of the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST), Kashmir, at Raj Bhawan here today. The Governor, who is the Chancellor of SKUAST, referred to the importance of establishing benchmark data for improving future planning to enhance productivity of areas under horticulture, agriculture and its allied sectors. He observed that this was crucial for evolving appropriate strategies to plan the future growth of these sectors utilising remote sensing and other technologies for the purpose. He also called for raising certified nurseries in the state to provide quality plant material to fruit and vegetable growers. Referring to the production of quality seeds of various crops and vegetables, he said efforts should be intensified for increasing production of seeds to meet the requirements of farmers in the state. He observed that while doing so a strict monitoring mechanism must be put in place so that the quality of the seeds is of the highest possible standard. The Governor said to encourage innovation in agriculture and its allied sectors, both farm universities of the state should consider instituting innovation awards. He also called for development of pastures, besides establishing feed and fodder banks, particularly in Ladakh and other remote areas, to meet fodder requirements of the livestock during the winter months. Omar, who is the Pro-Chancellor of the university, stressed that the best possible use must be made of all available resources to maximise returns to the farmers. He also asked for encouraging entrepreneurship and innovation in agriculture and its allied sectors to boost their growth. Minister for Agriculture Ghulam Hassan Mir emphasised the need for utilising latest technology for drawing up crop-wise maps to put in place required strategies to enhance production of agriculture and its allied sectors. He called for an focus on agriculture and its allied sectors for securing their rapid growth. Minister for Horticulture Raman Bhalla, Minister of State for Animal and Sheep Husbandry Nazir Ahmad Khan and Dr Tej Partap, Vice Chancellor, SKUAST, Kashmir, were present.
	LeT top militants told to lie low, reveals Fahadullah Majid Jahangir/TNS Srinagar, April 23 Lashkar commanders operating in Kashmir have been told to lie low on the instructions issued from across the Line of Control (LoC). This has been revealed by Lashkar-e-Toiba commander and Pakistan national Qari Naveed, alias Fahadullah, who was arrested on April 17 in north Kashmir’s Sopore area. Sources said Fahadullah told the police investigators that there were clear directions that top commanders should not get into the limelight. The Lashkar militant disclosed that till last year Muzamil Amin Dar, alias Urfi, alias Abu Hushaam (shot dead in October last year), was heading the LeT operations in the Valley. Fahadullah worked under Urfi’s command. Urfi was told from across the border that he should not come into the limelight as his family might be harassed by security men, revealed Fahadullah. “Urfi’s killing was a huge loss to the outfit as he was the main guy who was planning things for the LeT in Kashmir. He had even done a recce to carry out two fidayeen attacks. His killing was a major blow to the outfit’s plans,” a source said, quoting the captured commander. According to police records, Urfi was a member of the module that was allegedly involved in a failed attempt to bomb New Delhi last year and was killed along with another militant in a fierce encounter on October 21, 2012, in the Shallapora locality of Sopore town. Three security men were also injured in the encounter and a house was razed to the ground in the gun battle. “Besides being told to lie low, the LeT commanders have also been told to work in small modules,” said a police source. The police has claimed that they have almost wiped out the LeT network from north Kashmir’s Sopore area after the arrest of Fahadullah and over half a dozen overground workers. Terror Trail With the arrest of Fahadullah and overground workers, the police claims to have solved many cases, including a dozen grenade attacks cases in and around Sopore The LeT module was responsible for the killing of a youth inside a mosque in Sopore on March 19 The LeT was also behind the killing of sarpanch Ghulam Mohammad Yatoo, a resident of Palhalan in Sopore, on September 10, 2012
	Setback to road projects in Doda district Hyderabad-based construction firm cheats state government; all contracts cancelled Dinesh Manhotra Tribune News Service Jammu, April 23 Efforts for better road connectivity in the backward belt of erstwhile Doda district received a setback as GVPR Engineers Limited, a Hyderabad-based construction company, has cheated the Roads and Buildings (R&B) Department of the state. After terminating all contracts and agreements for executing 25 projects worth Rs 158 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), the R&B Department has decided to initiate criminal proceedings against the company because a large number of poor labourers were duped by it. “We have decided to initiate criminal proceedings against the company,” Minister of Roads and Buildings Abdul Majid Wani told The Tribune. He admitted their efforts to improve road connectivity in the erstwhile Doda district had received a setback. In the entire state, the erstwhile Doda district comprising three districts of Kishtwar, Doda and Ramban has the lowest road connectivity at 26 per cent. As per official figures, out of total 676 habitations in this belt, only 173 are connected with roads. The minister said the department has formulated a comprehensive policy to allot work to agencies outside the state. The Hyderabad-based company has not only deceived the state government but also duped a number of poor labourers of Doda district who had rendered their services to the company. Chief Engineer PMGSY Sheikh Hamid told The Tribune that the R&B Department has also decided to impose a penalty of Rs 20 crore on the company for violating terms and conditions of the agreements for executing works. He admitted that release of grants from the Centre for spreading road network has been withheld because the state government had failed to complete the projects for which grants were already sanctioned by the Union government. “I do admit that development activities have received a setback in this belt”, he said but exuded confidence that new R&B Minister, who belongs to Doda district, was sincerely working to compensate the losses which this belt had suffered. Meanwhile Wani, while addressing a meeting here today, said the government would act tough against the contractors who disregard conditions laid down for the works allotted to them. While reviewing the financial and physical status of ongoing projects being executed under the PMGSY and R&B sector in the erstwhile Doda, he ordered to blacklist all those contractors who have failed to meet the prescribed norms and set the deadlines. He said works allotted to 30 contactors in the erstwhile Doda district had been terminated after the latter were found lacking in meeting the set conditions. He also directed to blacklist the contractors who were not performing as per the norms prescribed in the work order.
	J&K to get Rs 700-cr loan from NABARD Tribune News Service Jammu, April 23 The state will get Rs 700-crore loan from National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) for the current financial year to give a fillip to agriculture, healthcare, communication and irrigation facilities. This was disclosed by the Chief Secretary, J&K, Mohammad Iqbal Khandey, while chairing a meeting of the committee constituted to devise a strategy for implementation of the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) during 2013-14, here yesterday. “An amount of Rs 700 crore has been negotiated as NABARD loan for the current financial year to give a fillip to agriculture and its allied sectors. There is a need for time-bound formulation of detailed project reports (DPRs) of different projects for sanction of NABARD funding,” the Chief Secretary said. He said the authorities concerned should ensure time-bound completion of the ongoing projects to ensure that the benefits of the same reached the people at the earliest. During the last financial year ending on March 31, 2013, out of the total allocation of Rs 413 crore, Rs 394.63 crore had been released as NABARD loan for promotion of agriculture and upgradation of health care, irrigation and road connectivity in the state. The meeting also discussed other vital issues, including disbursement of NABARD loan during last financial year, submission of project completion reports (PCRs) and administrative approval of sanctioned projects.
	Omar reiterates demand for rail coach factory in state Tribune News Service Jammu, April 23 Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today reiterated the demand for rail coach factory to be set up in the state. This, he said, was needed to overcome the economic stress and address the problem of unemployment due to militancy in the state over past two decades. He said the matter would be given further thrust at the Centre level. Such an initiative by the Central government was needed to expand economic activities, give a fillip to industrialisation and create jobs for the youth in the state. Chairing a meeting of the J&K State Industrial Advisory Committee of which Omar is the chairman, he directed for constitution of committees to be headed by the Economic Adviser to the government to frame sub-policy packages for industrially backward districts and service sectors like agriculture, IT, transport etc to help in the growth and development of feasible industries all across the state. Omar said the benefits of packages and concessions available in the field of industry should accrue universally bringing industrially backward districts under its focus properly. He said identification of areas for launch of feasible industrial units and encouraging budding entrepreneurs at the district-level should form an important ingredient of this programme. Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, Minister of State for Industries Sajjad Ahmad Kichloo, Chief Secretary Mohammad Iqbal Khandey, Economic Adviser to the Government Jalil Ahmad Khan, Principal Secretary Planning B R Sharma, Principal Secretary to the CM BB Vyas, Commissioner Secretaries, senior officials and representatives of trade, commerce and industrial bodies from Kashmir and Jammu attended the meeting.
	JKPSC working with less than 50% staff strength ‘Shortage affecting selection process for civil posts’ Arteev Sharma/TNS Jammu, April 23 The Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) has been operating with less than half of its sanctioned strength. The state has more than 10,000 vacant posts in the gazetted category for which the selections have to be made by the JKPSC. The Commission is entrusted with the task of selecting the “most capable and deserving persons, for manning the civil services and posts”. “The Commission made only 5,317 selections in the last four years. Last year, just 541 selections were made, both through direct recruitment and competitive exams,” said an official source said. He claimed that the government departments had recently not referred vacancies to the Commission, though they were all bound by SRO-166 to refer all vacancies “by the 15th of January every year”. “Against the sanctioned strength of eight members and a Chairman, the Commission has been operating with just three members and a Chairman. Till December 2012, there were four members in the Commission but its size reduced to three -- the first time in the last several years --with the retirement of one of the members,” the source said. The source said the selection process for various civil posts was getting affected because of the decreasing size of the Commission and there was an immediate need to fill vacant positions in the JKPSC to expedite the selection procedure. The Commission was constituted in 1957 under the Section 128 of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir and it is required to discharge the functions specified in the Section 133 of the Constitution. Apart from its main task of selection, the Commission is also consulted on the “principles to be followed in making promotions and transfers from one service to another (civil posts) and on the suitability of candidates for such appointments, promotions or transfers and on all disciplinary matters affecting a person serving under the government, including memorials or petitions relating to such matters.” The JKPSC Chairman, S L Bhat, was unavailable for comments. Govt ‘rectifying’ problem Chief Secretary, J&K, Mohammad Iqbal Khandey, when contacted, said the government had already initiated the process of filling the vacancies in the JKPSC. “We have taken up the necessary steps to strengthen the Commission and the process for appointing the members against the vacant posts would be finalised shortly.”
	Fix honorarium after consulting panches: AJKPC Tribune News Service Srinagar, April 23 The All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference (AJKPC) today urged the government to review the honorarium fixed for sapranches and panches of the state. The panchayat body said the amount should be fixed after holding consultations with representatives of the panchayat members. “The fixation of honorarium ought to have been given importance but it has been overlooked. The issue needs deliberations and debates in consultation with panchayat leaders. The government had last month announced an honorarium of Rs 1,500 and Rs 600 for sarpanches and panches, respectively, which is very low. It should be increased to at least Rs 5,000 and Rs 2,000, respectively,” said AJKPC spokesman Ghulam Hassan Punzoo after a meeting of the group held here.
	Leh marks World Book Day with a fair Yangchan Dolma Leh, April 23 In conjunction with World Book Day, Ladakh Book Mela was organised at Leh today. It was the first ever event held in the field of Ladakhi literature and was inaugurated by Ladakh’s first author Tashi Ragais, who is a known figure in the Tibetan classical language. Over 60 local organisations with their collections of books on Ladakh, different religions and other published works participated in the mela.