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Thursday,
July 31, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Mufti
seeks special financial aid
Two
militants killed
Panel to
probe politicians’ assets demanded People's
role in functions favoured |
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Docs,
engineers to be employed on contract 1.32
lakh have darshan at Amarnath
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Mufti seeks special financial aid Srinagar, July 30 Presenting state’s financial requirements and other related matters to the 12th Finance Commission, currently on a four-day visit to the state, at a meeting here this morning, the Chief Minister said his government’s main worries were to accelerate the process of development and tackle growing problem of unemployment. He said the state was trapped in a vicious circle. Due to paucity of funds, the development activity was at insufficient level leading to little employment generation, an official spokesman said here. As there was no job creation, the government had to act as employer. That makes it to spend more on salaries leaving a little for development, he added. The Mufti said this situation got compounded with political events. Violent conflict which destroys human, social and economic capital and also reverses decades of progress had been a major obstacle to economic development. He said conflict had also diverted attention from pressing social and economic problems. He said as the state was now emerging from the conflict, it was essential to lay a foundation for sustainable development. In this area, he urged the Finance Commission to provide its help that would go a long way in improving the situation. Referring to healing touch policy, Mufti Sayeed said there was a need to find ways to get funds to meet a large financial cost associated with it. He urged the commission to consider extraordinary financial assistance to the state, adding that sustained economic growth was only route to sustainable normalcy. The Chief Minister regretted that the state had never got a fair share of private investment and said for it the primary need was to get Jammu and Kashmir on the mental horizons of international and domestic business. |
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Two militants killed
Srinagar, July 30 An LeT militant, believed to be a Pakistani and identified as Waheed Ahmad, was killed in an encounter with a joint search party of the BSF and the Army in the Machil sector of Kupwara district in north Kashmir last night, a BSF spokesman said. He said an AK rifle, four magazines, 82 rounds, a hand grenade and Rs 6,500 were recovered from the slain ultra. In another incident, troops of the 35 Rashtriya Rifles shot dead a militant during patrolling in the Lakshmanpora locality on the outskirts of Srinagar late last night. Meanwhile, the body of Fayaz Ahmad Wani was recovered from the Sofshalibug in Kokernag area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district today, the sources said. JAMMU: At least two policemen and a Border Security Force jawan were injured when the militants triggered improvised explosive devices in two different parts of Udhampur district on Wednesday. The police said the militants, who attacked the police post in Bathoi on Tuesday night, set off the explosive device when the policemen were conducting a search operation near a police post in the Mahore area. The explosion, which took place at 8.30 a.m., injured constables Shoukat Hussain and Azhar Ali. In another incident, the militants triggered another IED at Buddhan of the Gool area also in Udhampur district, injuring a BSF constable Sunil Kumar.
— PTI, UNI |
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Massive
combing operation begins Baramula, July 30 Sources said troops of the 5th Sikh regiment and 21, 30 and 6 Rashtriya Rifles launched the search in the 30-km forest area from Rajwara to Hamammarkote and Rajwara to Churnar following information that militants were hiding there.
— UNI |
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Panel to probe
politicians’ assets demanded Jammu, July 30 In a statement here today, Mr Onkar Seth, a spokesman of the morcha demanded early formation of the commission so that the assets amassed by politicians could be brought under its purview. He alleged that certain leaders of the Congress and the National Conference had amassed huge property in Jammu and got built palatial buildings. This was also done to change demographic character of the Hindu majority in Jammu, he added. Mr Seth urged the Mufti government to probe why the previous National Conference government restored housing plots in the Roop Nagar and other places to influential allottees. The plots were cancelled by then Governor Jogmohan, in 1990. Restoration of these plots to ministers and other influential persons at throwaway price was a racket and should be probed by the commission. |
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People's
role in functions favoured Jammu, July 30 The main function will be held in the Bakshi stadium at Srinagar where the ruling PDP cadres are being asked to mobilise around 10,000 to 15,000 people to witness the parade. The government is also planning to organise an equally grand shows in all 12 districts. The Independence and the Republic Day functions in the past 14 years been lacklustre show as people generally preferred to remain indoors due to threats of terrorists. Moreover, the attempt to kill the then Governor, Lt-Gen K.V. Krishnarao, by blasting the stage while he was taking the salute of the Republic Day parade here, had also scared the people. State government officials were killed in the blast in the stadium here. Unlike previous celebrations in which mostly Army and paramilitary personnel participated, stress of the Mufti this time is to appeal the common people to come out of houses and participate in the national function in a big way. Official sources said that this step of the Mufti was to carry forward the normalisation process which has started showing results with tourists from other parts of the country visiting the Kashmir valley this summer. The participation of people in two public meetings addressed by Prime Minister, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee, in Srinagar recently has emboldened the Mufti. It was after many years that 3000 civilians witnessed the Republic Day parade at Srinagar on January 26. In the past the stadium used to wear a deserted look on the occasion. The effort of the NDA government at the Centre and the PDP-led coalition here this time is to organise high-level meetings in the Kashmir valley to make the situation look normal. The beginning was made by Mr Vajpayee himself by addressing two public meetings in the Srinagar city. This was followed by a meeting of the chief ministers of 15 Congress-ruled states which was presided by Ms Sonia Gandhi. Another big meeting of the Inter-State Council is being held at Srinagar from August 26. Mr Vajpayee, Deputy Prime Minister, Mr.L.K. Advani, central ministers and Chief Ministers of the states will attend the three-day meeting. Many long-standing demands of the state are expected to be met at the meeting. Many meetings of various parliamentary committees and central government organisations have been held at Srinagar after a gap of more than a decade. Envoys of 14 countries also came to the valley to participate in a golf tournament. Chairmen and managing directors of 22 nationalised banks were in Srinagar earlier this week for a meeting By organising holding such meetings and mobilising people here, the Centre and the state governments are trying to revamp the economy of the state and help bring normalcy to the state. |
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Docs, engineers to be employed on contract Srinagar, July 30 "The government has decided to appoint doctors, engineers and agriculture graduates on contract basis and teachers under 'rehbar-i-taleem' schemes in view of resource constraints," Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Syeed told a delegation of educated unemployed youth here today. Interacting with a delegation of State Road Transport Corporation employees, the Chief Minister called for optimum utilisation of the SRTC fleet to make it self-reliant.
— PTI |
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1.32 lakh have
darshan at Amarnath Jammu, July 30 Devotees, comprising 955 men, 169 women, 11 children and 150 sadhus, left from M A M stadium in 69 vehicles amid tight security despite heavy rains, the sources said. With this batch, 1,36,890 pilgrims had reached Kashmir in connection with the Amarnath pilgrimage till today, they said.
— PTI |
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Srinagar, July 30
