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Acquitted of charges, woman seeks damages
Kashmir varsity celebrates Librarian’s Day
Dr Jalal’s death condoled by all sections of society
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Students anxious about grading system: NYP
States instructed to deploy engineers for MGNREGA works
State to generate 9,000-MW power in a few years: Omar
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah inspects the 7.5-MW small hydro power project at Branwar in Budgam district on Saturday. A Tribune photo
Govt worried over slow pace of work of panchayat ghars
LPG home delivery still a distant dream
Training programme to change mindset to postal managers: CPMG
Two Nepalese killed in separate incidents
VDCs have lost relevance now, says Cong leader
State judoka wins bronze medal
Kupwara youth on ‘Watan Ki Sair’
Army empowers youth in Rajouri, Poonch
Rain wrecks 836 houses: ANC
Educational tour for girls flagged off
Bhat’s house arrest condemned Medical officer awarded 5-year-old girl among 2 hurt in accident Man injured in bear attack
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Acquitted of charges, woman seeks damages
Srinagar, August 17 Zara Bibi was arrested by the police in 2008 on charges of providing food to militants. However, she was later acquitted by a sessions court, Reasi, of all the charges levelled against her as the prosecution failed to produce any evidence. Zara, a nomadic Bakerwal woman hailing from Ghor Charala village under the jurisdiction of Sunderbabi tehsil in Rajouri district, used to live her life by
grazing cattle in the high mountains and pastures in the region. However, she is no longer able to climb the high mountains and the pastures because of the alleged torture she suffered at the hands of the police while in custody after she was arrested on charges of providing shelter and food to the militants in January, 2008. As submitted in the her application before the commission, for the four months she was behind bars, she was tortured and is now unable to do any manual work. “Being unable to do any work due to torture suffered at the hands of the police, Zara Bibi now lives in abject poverty. Her husband is very old and she has three daughters, who are of marriageable age,” said Malik Yaseen Hassan, a human rights activist who has been helping her in the case before the SHRC. In her application before the SHRC, Zara has also submitted that she along with her husband used to earn her livelihood by grazing cattle in the high mountains and pastures. “The victim was tortured by the police during the custody and is unable to do the same job now,” it has been submitted before the SHRC in the application filed through her consul this week, adding that she was acquitted by the sessions court, Reasi, of all the charges in its decision announced on December 22, 2012. Stating that the victim has been running from pillar to post and has approaches all the authorities concerned for the compensation, it has been further submitted before the SHRC that it should investigate the conduct of the police officials concerned for implicating her in a false case and torturing her. “Further, it is prayed that the victim be provided compensation in the interest of justice,” the application states. Case file
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Kashmir varsity celebrates Librarian’s Day
Srinagar, August 17 Vice-Chancellor, Kashmir University, Talat Ahmad was the chief guest at the inaugural event which besides other segments had a Ranganathan memorial lecture and a photo exhibition of the world renowned librarians. Terming libraries as gateways to knowledge in a society, the Vice-Chancellor said, “Libraries play a fundamental role in He said libraries help shape new ideas and The Vice-Chancellor underlined the need for extensive and regular training to students of all departments to let them know the proper use of library system at the Kashmir University. The VC also felt the need for making the library system accessible to general public besides university and college students. In his address, AM Shah, Dean, Academic Affairs, referred to the changing environment of books and libraries the world over and said, “Libraries are not going to die, they will stay but will have to change.” Terming the library as one of the important components in the university system, Shah said, “We need to introspect whether we are effectively operating in the changing environs of the library system.” Librarian Majeed Baba said Ranganathan framed the five laws of library science and the colon classification of books. “He is considered as the father of library movement in India,” Baba pointed out. “We celebrate the day to encourage reading and create awareness among students on the proper use of books,” he added. SM Shafi, Head, Department of Library and Information Science, said changing lifestyles of people had much to do how people look at libraries now. “We need to invest in consumer behaviour to understand the phenomenon,” Shafi said. |
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Dr Jalal’s death condoled by all sections of society
Srinagar, August 17 In his condolence message, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has expressed his solidarity with the bereaved family. He also prayed for eternal peace to the departed soul. Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Dr Farooq Abdullah has also expressed grief over the demise of Jalal. Dr Farooq conveyed his sympathy to the bereaved family. Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council chairman Amrit Malhotra and Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Speaker Mubarak Gul have expressed grief and sorrow over the death of Dr Jalal. Extending sympathies with the bereaved family, they said the state lost astute medico. Both prayed for eternal peace to the departed soul. Deputy Chief Minister and the Council of Ministers have expressed grief and sorrow over the demise of Jalal. Extending sympathies with the bereaved family, they prayed for eternal peace to the departed soul. Former Union Minister and Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president Saifuddin Soz expressed his deepest anguish at the sad demise of Jalal. “On this sad occasion, I would repeat my urgent plea with the state government to nab the killers of Dr Jalal. The common feeling in Kashmir is that the killers of Dr Jalal can be nabbed and brought to justice,” Soz said in a statement . The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed deep shock and grief over the death of SKIMS former director Dr Jalal who was attacked by unidentified gunmen in Pampore last
month. Expressing deep sympathies with the family of Dr Jalal, Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed recalled his tireless services which he rendered for the people of the state. “Dr Jalal will be
remembered for long and his demise is an irreparable loss to the state,” Mufti said. Peoples’ Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti also expressed her deep grief over the demise of Dr Jalal. Senior Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) leaders Muzaffar Hussain Baig, party general secretary Mohammad Dilawar Mir, senior leader Tariq Hameed Karra, party chief spokesperson Naeem Akhtar, Dr Sameer Koul, PDP legislators, party leaders also expressed their condolences to the bereaved family. Separatist leader Syed Ali Shah also condoled the demise of Jalal saying that his death has created a painful vacuum. “It’s personally very painful to me,” Geelani said in a statement, while extending his sympathies with the family of Jalal. Many doctors' associations too have condoled the demise of former Director Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS). |
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Students anxious about grading system: NYP
Jammu, August 17 The policy claimed that youth at present had to contend with frequent absence of teachers from schools and colleges. A matter of further concern was that courses were not completed on time, leading to a state of uncertainty among them. Sources said the concept of grading system was announced in J&K with much fanfare to reduce unnecessary stress on the minds of students, but people at the helm of affairs in the Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE) have failed to implement the system in letter and spirit. As a result, they are still declaring positions and marks scored by the students. The policy claimed that most of the institutions use teaching methods that were outmoded. It added that the methodology of teaching, materials for teaching, teacher training etc needed special attention. “Enable the enhanced participation of youth in the process of decision making and development. Timely conduct of union elections in all universities provide an opportunity to the youth to contribute to nation building and develop as responsible leaders as well as voters,” the National Youth Policy added. The policy said rural youth form a larger share of the youth population, but have comparatively lesser access to information, educational and career opportunities and training facilities in the state. It stated that the youth finds it difficult to compete with urban youth in terms of opportunities for jobs and higher education because of tough competition. "Full information about state policies and programmes is often not available to the youth of the country. The government has many programmes about which they have little information and therefore, the benefits of these state-sponsored schemes are not known to them. The National Youth Policy said many young people belonging to tribal communities often find themselves at cross-roads in their lives. Why the anxiety?
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States instructed to deploy engineers for MGNREGA works
Jammu, August 17 However, North East states and states with hilly and difficult terrains such as Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand have been instructed to deploy two engineers per 3,000 rural households. Sources said in order to ensure adequate human and technical support at the sub-district levels in the implementation of the MGNREGA in the districts where the integrated action plan was in operation, the Central government had proposed to the state governments concerned to create a district cadre of the staff deployed with the panchayats and recruit one panchayat development officer
(PDO) and a junior engineer (JE - Works) at the gram panchayat level. The sources said the PDOs would perform all duties as may be entrusted to them by the gram
panchayat, supervise other functionaries, perform other duties as the intermediate
panchayat, district panchayat or the state government may direct, assist the panchayats in decentralised or convergent planning under the Act by taking up participatory planning approach and implementation and monitoring of the Act. The JE (Works) will be responsible for preparation of work estimates and layout of works for construction or civil works under the scheme, obtain necessary technical and administrative approval and monitor the execution of work as per the prescribed procedure and provide technical supervision. The Ministry proposed to the state government to designate a district programme coordinator
(DPC), who could be either the Chief Executive Officer of the district
panchayat, or the District Collector or any other district-level officer of appropriate rank. The DPC is responsible for the implementation of the scheme in the district, in accordance with the provisions made in the
MGNREGA, 2005, and rules and guidelines made there under. Sources said the demand for employment under the MGNREGA was affected by many extraneous and endogenous variables such as the lack of comprehensive knowledge about the scheme, lack of knowledge on how to exercise their rights by applying for the job, connectivity with towns or satellite towns, wage differentials, lack of infrastructure and capacity at the gram
panchayat, block or district levels, delayed wage payments, availability of alternate employment opportunities in the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors and lack of knowledge about what all works could be taken up under the
MGNREGA. |
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State to generate 9,000-MW power in a few years: Omar
Branwar (Budgam), August 17 “9,000 MWs of power is in the offing within next some years to realise the goal of self-reliance in power generation and helping all sectors of development to grow and expand comprehensively,” Omar said here after inspecting the 7.5 MW Branwar small hydro power project (SHP). The project had been established in the Independent Power Producers (IPP) mode in Budgam district over Doodganga Nullah, a tributary of the Sukhnag. The Chief Minister also examined the possibility of utilising the potential available there to generate yet another 22.5 MW power. “This will not only generate ample employment for the youth of the state but give a new dimension to the economic activities,” he said. The Chief Minister said measures had been put in place to generate electricity through small, medium and mega projects. The PPP, IPP, joint ventures and JKSPDC owned projects had been launched in the state to give considerable boost to indigenous power generation, he added. Omar Abdullah also highlighted the need for local investment in the power generation projects and said entrepreneurs of the state were being provided encouraging facilities and help to invest in the sector and be part in the economic development and prosperity of the state. The Chief Minister said about two dozen small and medium power projects were at various stages of execution under the IPP mode in the state. “Construction of small projects in feasible areas are proving highly beneficial for the localities which are receiving electricity from these projects and generating economic activities. This initiative also provides locals a chance of getting employment in these projects,” he said. Omar Abdullah was apprised that the Branwar power project was running satisfactorily and out of the 34 skilled staff, 30 were locals. Minister for Finance Abdul Rahim Rather, Commissioner Secretary, Power Development Department, and other officers of the department accompanied the Chief Minister. |
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Govt worried over slow pace of work of panchayat ghars
Srinagar, August 17 In the absence of the panchayat ghars, the local panchayats meet in rented rooms. The government said the panchayat ghars would ensure that the panchayat members meet to discuss its working and perform its functions. Earlier this year, the government had fixed a deadline for construction of nearly 2,000 panchayat ghars so as to strengthen the local governance. The government had threatened the officials that any delay in the completion of work would attract disciplinary action. Official sources said a major reason for the slow pace of the work was the non-availability of impress money with the executing agency. In order to overcome the problem, the government has impressed upon all project Officer Wage Employment to release the impress amount in favour of the junior engineers concerned as admissible, so that they do not face any difficulty in completion of the panchayat ghars. The Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Ali Mohammad Sagar yesterday had also directed the officers to speed up the work on the construction of the new panchayat ghars. “The officials have been asked to ensure that the work on the panchayat ghars is completed within the deadline,” Sagar said. |
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LPG home delivery still a distant dream
Although CAPD authorities say that majority of gas agencies in the city have been directed to ensure home delivery of LPG cylinders, the gas agencies are yet to abide by the fresh guidelines. Only in few pockets of the city have the gas agencies adhered to the guidelines and residents are thus enjoying hassle-free services. The rates of the cylinders have been fixed at Rs 421 for the subsidised and Rs 877.50 for
non-subsidised cylinders. Such guidelines are supposed to be in force in the Jammu city as well. However, residents of a majority of the areas say that they are yet to avail the home delivery LPG service facilities and that despite complaints made to the
CAPD, the private agencies who are violating the norms have not been brought to book. “We are yet to avail the home delivery facilities for LPG. Every time we have to run after the dealers for LPG cylinders. The assurances of the state government as usual have turned out to be untrue,” Mohammad
Ashraf, a bank executive said. Even though a proposal of ensuring home delivery of LPG cylinders in rural areas is still lying with the state government, city residents are already in a complaint mode. “The authorities have failed to provide home delivery services for this year in the city. In rural areas, availing LPG home delivery services will be more difficult as there are no gas agencies at the block level,” Imtiyaz Ali, a businessman said. |
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Training programme to change mindset to postal managers: CPMG
Jammu, August 17 Samuel said, “The purpose of the customer focus programme is to give a new mindset to the postal managers whereby the customer first philosophy becomes the driving force. It has been exclusively designed for the postal officers with specific applications to the post office. We want people to join hands and build a customer-oriented organisation where customer commands priority.” He impressed upon the staff members to be polite while dealing with the customers and listen to them patiently. The CPMG said the staff training
programme, organising customers meet at each of the post offices will be among different activities during the customer first campaign. John Samuel said the business volumes of India Post in J&K had seen tremendous growth in the recent years. “The department is now focusing to strengthen its relations with its customers and the campaign will prove a milestone in this direction. “The campaign will focus on identification of potential customers business as well as individual, their requirements, customer satisfaction for which a survey will be conducted by providing feedback forms and encouraging staff members to know the relevance of customers by providing them best available services at post offices, including better ambiance and pleasant atmosphere.” The CPMG further added that people could write to him directly sharing their experience on postal services for further improvement and a link would also be provided on the J&K Postal Circle’s website www.jkpost.gov.in for the feedback. |
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Two Nepalese killed in separate incidents
Srinagar, August 17 He succumbed to his injuries on the way to a hospital. The police has registered a case under Section 174 of of the CrPC and initiated inquest proceedings. In another incident, a 32-year-old resident of Nepal died after receiving an electric shock in the city, a police spokesman said today. Abdul Majeed Khan, a resident of Sabtari in Nepal, received an electric shock while demolishing a house at Soiteng near Nowgam on the city outskirts, the spokesman said. Khan was shifted to SMHS hospital in the city where he succumbed to injuries. The body of deceased has been handed over to his relatives for the last rites, the spokesman said. |
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VDCs have lost relevance now, says Cong leader
Srinagar, August 17 “The VDCs may have no relevance now, especially after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah admitted that the violence has seen a gradual decline in the state,” Vakil said, while addressing a party convention at Nowpora, Sopore, in south Kashmir. He urged the Prime Minister to send a parliamentary delegation to Kishtwar to access the situation on the ground so that victims do not feel isolated. About the tension building on the Line of Control (LoC), he said, “Pakistan is only creating trouble in the region by violating the ceasefire on the LoC.” He appealed all stakeholders in the state to contribute in development, prosperity and peace and demoralise those forces who only wanted to divide the state on communal and regional lines. He said the Congress would never allow these forces to groom. Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Shah, Mohmmad Afzal Khan, Brij Nath Nehru and Sardar Harbajan Singh Azad also addressed the gathering. |
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State judoka wins bronze medal
Jammu, August 17 Run by the Sports Authority of India
(SAI), the Centre of Excellence at National Institute of Sports (NIS) Patiala, selects young and talented players across different disciplines from all over the country to further hone their skills so that they could prove their worth at the higher levels. Enrolled in March last year, Shikha will undergo training in NIS Patiala for the next two years. All her expenses with regard to her stay and education will be borne by the
SAI, provided she continues to perform at the national level. Pertinently, Shikha is the second female judoka from the state who has been picked up by the SAI for specialised training. Nippu
Jamwal, who won a gold medal in the Asian Judo Championship, was the first such promising player from J&K to be trained at NIS Patiala.
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Kupwara youth on ‘Watan Ki Sair’
Branwar
(Budgam), August 17 Father of Haroon Rashid of Poshpura village in
Kupwara, who had topped the Common Entrance Test of the state, was also invited at the ceremony. “As many as 25 students and two teachers are a part of the tour that will end on August 31,” a Defence spokesman said. “The students and teachers had stepped out of the Valley for the first time in their lives and were extremely enthusiastic about it. They all were eagerly looking forward to this new experience,” the spokesman added.
Imtiyaz Ahmad Sheikh, a student from Marhama, said this tour would widen their horizons. “The tour will be give us an insight into the aspects of cultural diversity, co-existence,
infrastructural growth and opportunities for personal growth, besides fostering bonhomie, love and respect between citizens and the Army,” he said. |
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Army empowers youth in Rajouri, Poonch
Jammu, August 17 The duration of the cadres was from August 5 to August 17. The aim of the cadres was to impart basic skills of photography, videography, light vehicle maintenance tasks, welding and electrical tasks, which would give participants the requisite confidence to venture further in these fields on their own. As many as 63 unemployed youth attended these cadres. The certificates of participation were provided to each participant. Zafar Ahmed, sarpanch of Kalai village, expressed his gratitude towards the Army for providing this opportunity to the youngsters of the region.
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Rain wrecks 836 houses: ANC
Jammu, August 17 Awami National Conference provincial president Gian Singh exhorted upon the officers to be prompt and extra vigilant towards their services to deal with the situation arisen due to heavy rains and flash floods in the region
effectively. Singh demanded the construction of Satwari Bank on the pattern of the Chenab in Akhnoor and a project on the same line. He demanded concrete repairs of damaged banks immediately to avoid
further loss. He urged the district administration to keep a close vigil on the situation to avoid further loss to life and property and appealed to access the losses of the houses damaged, land erosion and other infrastructure washed away in flood, besides providing them a compensation. |
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Educational tour for girls flagged off
Rajouri, August 17 The education tour aims to provide an exposure to poor children of the remote areas about rich history and culture of India. During the tour, students will also get an opportunity to meet senior officers of the Army and visit historical Jallianwala Bagh, Golden Temple and many other historical places. Girls were excited about the tour and expressed gratitude of the Army for providing them a lifetime opportunity to see these places and learn firsthand knowledge about the nation.
— OC |
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Mainstream, separatists and medical fraternity have condoled the death of noted cardiologist Dr Sheikh Jalal, who died in New Delhi.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has condoled the demise of renowned cardiologist describing it a huge loss to society, in general, and medical fraternity, in particular.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said the state would generate 9,000 MWs of power within next some years to realise the goal of self-reliance in power generation.
“9,000 MWs of power is in the offing within next some years to realise the goal of self-reliance in power generation and helping all sectors of development to grow and expand comprehensively,” Omar said here after inspecting the 7.5 MW Branwar small hydro power project.
Srinagar, August 17