Jammu, August 27
An impressive Janmashtami shobha rath yatra was taken out today with religious fervour and enthusiasm amid tight security arrangements by the district administration on the eve of Janmashtami.

The shobha yatra started at 5 pm from the Raghunath Temple with the taking out of the sawaari of Lord Krishna in a fully decorated silver chariot. The yatra started with traditional pooja archana of Lord Krishna by religious scholars in the famous temple.

A large number of devotees, including prominent citizens and leaders of various political parties and social organisations, attended the function.

Jammu Inspector General of Police Rajesh Kumar and other senior officers were present on the Raghunath Temple premises to review overall arrangements for the yatra.

As the shobha yatra left the temple amid chanting of religious slogans, a large number of devotees en route waited in long queues as well as on rooftops to have a glimpse of Lord Krishna whose sawaari was taken out in a decorated chariot. The people en route showered flowers from rooftops on the shobha yatra and paid obeisance to Lord Krishna.

The yatra passed through Residency Road, Shahidi Chowk, Kanak Mandi, City Chowk, Purani Mandi, Raj Tilak Road, Jain Bazar, Chowk Chabutra, Pacca Danga, Moti Bazar, Parade, Purani Mandi, City Chowk and Raghunath Bazaar before culminating at Raghunath Chowk in the evening.

The whole market was decorated to greet the shobha yatra. The occasion presented the traditional brotherhood and amity for which the city of temples was famous for.

The sawaari of Lord Krishna was preceded by seven horse riders attired in traditional Dogra dress with kesri turbans on their heads. It was followed by over one score jhankis depicting different aspects of Lord Krishna’s life from his childhood to the Mahabharata.

The shobha yatra was organised by the Dharmarth Trust in collaboration with other organisations. The devotees en route danced to the beat of drums and recited bhajans and kirtans in praise of Lord Krishna.

Elaborate security arrangements were made by the authorities for the successful conduct of the yatra. A large number of policemen escorted the yatra to avoid any untoward incident.

The Rotary Club, Jammu Tawi, also celebrated Janmashtami. A stall was installed at Gole Market, Gandhi Nagar, where devotees taking out the shobha yatra were served fruit prasad.

Jammu, August 27
The district administration has initiated an inquiry to find how a horse carcass reached an old godown of the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) Department at the warehouse full of rotten and discarded foodgrain.

Divisional Commissioner Shantmanu and a team of officials found the remains in the store during routine checking yesterday. Officials said the JAKFED godown was being used by the CAPD Department to store discarded rice and flour and was unused for the last many months.

During the checking, during which some local residents were present, animal remains were found lying in the store, which came as surprise to the officers as it was a short distance from the CAPD Department godown from which the supply of rations was made to different districts of Jammu.

This was not the first time the warehouse was in the news for the wrong reasons. In January 2012, then Minister for Consumer Affairs Qamar Ali Akhoon had suspended a Supervisor and attached an Assistant Director of the department for dereliction of duty as they had not maintained proper records and hygiene.

When contacted, Shantmanu confirmed that animal remains has been recovered from the old building. “I have issued directions to investigate the matter, but the godown was not in use and only contained discarded foodgrain. Steps will be taken to prevent such things in the future.”

Shantmanu said there would be no compromise on the quality of foodgrain being supplied to the people. “Every care is being taken to ensure the quality of rations reaching the people,” he said.

Jammu West Assembly Movement president, Sunil Dimple, who was present during the visit of the Divisional Commissioner to the site, urged the government to start a high-level inquiry into the issue. “It shows the inefficiency of the department and there is every possibility that quality is not being maintained at godowns,” he said.

Jammu, August 27
The failure of the government to release funds for the purchase of mobile testing laboratories to check milk adulteration has scuttled efforts of the Jammu Municipal Corporation (MC) to start a major drive against the influx of poor quality products in the city. Consumers are being exposed to contaminated and poor quality milk products due to the delay.

The proposal on mobile testing laboratories was mooted last year after an alarming report by the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) in January 2012 that 83 per cent of the milk being sold in urban areas and districts of the state was not safe for consumption.

The FSSAI had taken 18 samples from different areas of the state as part of its nationwide study and had found that the most common adulteration in the state was of glucose and skimmed milk products, which were being mixed with the intention of earning profit at the expense of the heath of the common man.

“We are dependent on the laboratory, which takes days for the outcome of results, including finding the use of synthetic products. Mobile testing laboratories can provide us a tool for on-the-spot checking,” said a municipal officer.

MC Health Officer Vinod Sharma said, “The government has told us that funds will be released and are at final stage of approval. We are lifting samples and sending those to the laboratory.” He said modern equipment was necessary to curb adulteration.

A senior MC official said the civic body had been fighting a losing battle against adulteration in the city as it did not have the facility and equipment required to test milk and milk products.

“We are launching a regular campaign, but it takes weeks to get test reports, resulting in a delay in starting prosecution. There is a need for mobile laboratories and trained manpower to deal with the menace of adulteration,” he said.

Jammu, August 27
Surpal Jaswal has appealed to the people to vote and support his son Anmol, who has made it to the grand finale of Indian Idol Junior, a singing contest on television.

“There has been a tremendous and overwhelming response from all quarters of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. I hope that people will vote for Anmol at a time when he is fighting for the Indian Idol Junior trophy,” Surpal said at a press conference.

“Anmol’s ability as a singer has been appreciated by everyone, but now he needs support and people should come forward,” Surpal said.

Anmol’s father said the ban onSMSes on pre-paid mobile phones was hurting the cause.

“I appeal to the government to reconsider the ban on SMSes. Only five days are left and voting lines will be closed at 7 am on September 1,” he added.

The non-government organisation Prayas offered help. Prayas president Vikrant Dogra appealed to Internet users to download the Indian Idol Junior application and vote on the website.

“We appeal to post-paid mobile phone users to vote for Anmol and bridge the gap created due to the ban on SMSes on pre-paid mobile phones,” said Prayas chairman Rajesh Sharma.

Jammu, August 27
The Tourist Taxi Operators Federation has announced a 20 per cent discount on hiring taxis for Katra-Bhaderwah and Jammu-Bhaderwah to-and-fro journeys for pilgrims undertaking the Kailash Kund yatra.

The yatra has great religious and historical significance as it is considered equal to the Kailash Mansarovar yatra to Tibet. The Kailash Kund yatra from Bhaderwah commenced from August 25 and would conclude on September 5.

The decision was taken at a meeting of taxi operators under the chairmanship of its president Davinder Choudhary. He said it was decided that operators would take the pilgrims till Chatargala, 28 kilometres from Bhaderwah on the Bhaderwah-Bani-Basholi highway, which was under construction at present.

The distance of six kilometres from Chatargala to Kailash Kund could be covered on foot by pilgrims. “This is the shortest route for undertaking the journey in one day,” he said.

Jammu, August 27
The Agriculture Policy has stated that despite significant strides made so far by Jammu and Kashmir in harnessing potential benefits for the farming community, sustainable growth in the agricultural sector cannot be realised unless the systemic problems are appropriately identified, effectively tackled and successfully overcome.

With the exception of J&K Bank Ltd, the credit deposit ratio in the case of commercial banks as well as cooperative banks in the state is extremely low. The flow of credit to agriculture and allied sectors is dismal.

Compared to the national benchmark of 18 per cent, the credit exposure to agriculture and allied sectors is estimated at 14 per cent, the policy says.

The policy further says agriculture development in the state will be guided in the future not only with the objective of attaining food and nutritional security, but also by the concerns of declining profitability, environmental degradation and ecological unsustainability.

It adds that agriculture based development strategies should rely on increase in profitability, especially of the small and marginal farmers, together with creation of employment opportunities for rural youth, both in farm and non-farm sectors.

The policy stresses on the need to strengthen adaptive research, technology assessment and refinement and transfer capabilities of the state so that existing wide technology transfer gaps are bridged. Thrust will be given to transfer of technology programmes. This will be carried out through training schools for beneficiaries, modern tools of communication and other available avenues.

The research and extension linkages will be strengthened to improve quality and effectiveness of research and extension system and harness high cropping intensities. Increase in cropping intensity will be achieved from the present level of 123 per cent to 150 per cent in Kashmir, 176 per cent to 190 per cent in Jammu and 105 per cent to 120 per cent in Ladakh, the Agriculture Policy states.

The policy suggestes that special attention should be paid to rainfed farming (dry land agriculture) in terms of augmentation of available water resource, rainwater harvesting and recharge of aquifers.

Jammu, August 27
The Jammu and Kashmir Kisan Council yesterday lashed out at the state government for not showing any serious concern towards farmers who had suffered heavy losses due to extensive damage their crops following the recent hailstorm and continuous rain.

Council president Tajinder Singh said all major crops like cereals, vegetables and flowers had suffered extensive damage, causing heavy losses to farmers. "The recent heavy rain proved detrimental to the present rabi season and the coming kharif season as almost 80 per cent of the seedlings of vegetables, flowers and standing vegetable crops were damaged in the Jammu region," he said.

"Such natural calamities can be compensated by adopting the method of weather-based agriculture insurance, as is being followed by the states of Haryana, Punjab and Gujarat," he said.

Jammu, August 27
Various Sikh organisations today staged a protest against Asaram Bapu and demanded his immediate arrest following serious charges levelled against him in the sexual assault case.

The protesters, who assembled under the banner of the United Secular Forum, raised slogans against the ashram of Asaram Bapu and strongly criticised the alleged uncivilised remarks of some women about Guru Nanak Dev.

Representatives of the Sikh organisations who participated in the protest included Avtar Singh Khalsa, president, United Secular Forum, Mohinder Singh, chief organiser, BKNSS, Param Jit Singh, president, AISSF, Surjit Singh Kuku, Sikh Noujawan Sabha, Ramnik Singh Bijral, Manmohan Singh, chairman Gole Gujral, Kulwant Singh and others.

Jammu, August 27
The Bahu Fort Development Committee (BFDC) today held a protest demonstration against the Power Development Department (PDD) for their failure to restore electric supply by installing new transformers at Pacca Talab and Matador Stand, Bahu Fort.

Members of the BFDC gathered on the road today to express their resentment against the PDD for not installing new transformers. The angry protesters blocked the road and raised slogans demanding the immediate restoration of power supply by installing new transformers. The protest demonstration was led by Rajeev Charak, president, BFDC. He were accompanied by Ishant Gupta, spokesman, BFDC and Hardesh Kumar Khokher, vice-president, BFDC.

While interacting with mediapersons, Rajeev Charak said there were two transformers in the Bahu Fort area; one at Pacca Talab which got burnt and the other at Matador Stand which was defused for the past three days, but the department has turned a blind eye as no step has been taken to restore them.

Charak said it had created problems for the residents of the area to celebrate Krishna Janmashtami tomorrow. Keeping in mind the importance of this festival, he demands that the PDD should look into the matter and take necessary steps to restore the electricity supply at the earliest.

Among those present included Vivek Sharma, Ankush Khajuria, Sony Verma, Bal Krishan, Tinku Malakar, Yash Nargotra, Harish Balgotra and others.

Jammu, August 27
Sapartan Cricket Academy (SCA), Delhi, and Rajasthan Cricket Club (RCC) trounced JD Boys Cricket Club, Kolkata, and Meerut Cricket Club, respectively, in the ongoing All-India 1st J&K Friendship T20 Cricket Cup for Peace being organised by Young Star Cricket Club (YSCC), Doda, at University of Jammu (JU) grounds.

In the first match, batting first, Sapartan Cricket Academy (SCA) scored 131 runs in the stipulated quota of 20 overs. Anil was the top scorer with 59 runs while Akshay Kaul contributed 22 runs.

From Boys Cricket Club, Kolkata, Rajesh Jha was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets while Firoz claimed two wickets. In reply, Boys Cricket Club Kolkata could manage 121 runs and lost the match by a narrow margin.

Shoiab Alam played a fine knock of 26 runs while Sumit Dass also chipped in with 21 runs for the team.

From Sapartan Cricket Academy (SCA), Anil and Khurshid took two and one wicket, respectively. Anil of SCA was declared the man of the match.

The second match was played between Rajasthan Cricket Club and Meerut Cricket Club. Meerut Cricket Club was bundled out for a meagre total of 72 runs in 16 overs. From Rajasthan Cricket Club, Sandeep and Kenan were the chief destroyers with four and three wickets, respectively.

In reply, Rajasthan Cricket Club did the needful in just six overs. Mohit was the highest scorer from Rajasthan Cricket Club with 27 runs. Sandeep of Rajasthan Cricket Club was declared the man of the match.

The man of the match awards were presented to the players by the chief guest, Registrar JU, Prof Manoj K Dhar and guest of honour, Vinay Thusoo.

Jammu, August 27
Raman Volleyball Club won the open volleyball (Independence Day) tournament by defeating BSF team by 3-1 in the summit showdown at the Sports Stadium, Bari Brahmana.

Earlier, BSF Jammu team pocketed the inaugural set by 25-22, but could not keep the momentum going in the remaining sets.

Spikers of Raman Club lifted their game and won the next three sets by 25-21, 25-22 and 25-22 to help their team emerge victorious.

Earlier, in the semifinals, BSF Jammu beat Volleyball Club, Manwal (Pathankot) by 3-0 (25-13, 25-23, 25-20) while Raman Club defeated Volleyball Club, Kathrol (Pathankot) by 25-20, 25-17 and 25-11.

Meanwhile, the women’s title trophy went to Army School BD Bari, who defeated Volleyball Club, Samailpur, by 2-1 (25-22, 25-27, 25-13).

The competition was officiated by the technical panel, including Mulkh Raj Sharma, Shashi Sharma and Uttam Sharma.

In the valedictory function, former minister Surjit Singh Slathia was the chief guest who gave away winners and runners-up trophies, besides individual prizes. The tournament was organised by Sahyog committee.

Jammu, August 27
The eves of Jammu district clinched the U-14 and U-19 basketball titles while Jammu boys have set up a summit clash with Udhampur in the U-19 age group of the divisional-level inter-district basketball tournament being held at the Gulshan Ground Basketball Court.

In the U-14 girls final, Jammu got the better of Samba by 8-0 in a one-sided affair to clinch the trophy while in the U-19 age group, Jammu overcame the challenge of Udhampur by 17-0 to bag the top honours. Harman and Jasmine of Jammu district scored seven points each in the U-19 girls category while Nimsha and Arpita of District Jammu scored three points each in the U-14 category.

The matches were officiated by Mousmi Verma, Amit Kalsi, Harvinder Singh, Jyoti and Harvinder Kaur.

Meanwhile, in the boys section, Jammu district will take on Udhampur in the U-19 summit clash at the same venue tomorrow.

Earlier, in U-19 semifinals played, Jammu edged out Kishtwar by a huge margin of 26-2 points while Udhampur drubbed Kathua by 26-5 points. Amanjot was the star performer with a score of 12 points for Jammu while for Udhampur, Karan scored 10 points in the second semifinal.

In the U-17 boys category, Udhampur secured a berth in the final by beating Doda by 21-0 and will now play against the winner of the semifinal match between Samba and Jammu tomorrow.

Earlier, Samba toppled Kathua in a close contest in the U-17 boys quarterfinals. The matches were officiated by Vishal Bharti and Rajesh Bandral.

The tournament, organised by the Department of Youth Services and Sports, was inaugurated by Navin Aggarwal, Director General, Youth Services and Sports.

He was also accompanied by Tirath Ram, District Youth Services and Sports Officer, Jammu.