Srinagar/Jammu, April 8
Cutting across party lines, mainstream and separatist parties and various social and religious organisations have condemned the killing of Moulana Showkat Ahmad Shah, chief of the Jamiat-e-Ahl-e-Hadees, who was killed in an IED explosion at Gaw Kadal in Srinagar today.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also condemned the death of Showkat Shah. Terming the act as the most heinous, Omar, in a statement, said the killing of the veteran religious scholar was a great loss to society and those responsible for the crime had exhibited their inhuman behaviour towards society and innocent people.

The Chief Minister conveyed his earnest sympathies to the bereaved family and expressed sorrow over the loss of a precious human life in the blast.

Condemning the killing, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, in his address during the Friday prayers at Jamia Masjid, said the killing of religious, social and political leaders in Kashmir was a conspiracy of the successive governments and India’s communal forces.

The Mirwaiz said the killing of the religious leaders began 21 years ago when his father, the then Mirwaiz (chief priest) Moulvi Mohammad Farooq, was killed in May 1990. He called for a general strike in Kashmir tomorrow to mourn the death of Showkat Shah.

Former Chief Minister and PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti condemned the killing of Shah and expressed sorrow over the IED blast that besides killing the religious leader, caused injuries to others. The PDP leaders said violence was antithesis of both religion and politics. They said Showkat Shah was engaged in the conduct and pursuit of religious instructions and his death would be felt by the entire society. They added that Showkat Shah was killed at a time when Kashmir was fighting a grim battle for its rights and had rejected violence as a means to achieve political goals.

The PDP leaders said the murder was a reminder of the vulnerability of Kashmir to attempts at subverting political and peaceful methods adopted by the people to protest in support of their demands over the past several years.

In view of the present situation, the PDP has decided to defer its demonstration programme for the resolution of the Kashmir issue, which was to be held at all tehsil headquarters in the Valley tomorrow.

Expressing grief over the incident, the CPM described the killing of Showkat Shah as a heinous and barbaric act. “It is a big tragedy for the people as the religious luminary was a highly respected person in society. Words fail to condemn this barbaric murder. Only enemies of Kashmir and its people could benefit from such heinous acts,” a spokesman for the CPM said.

Meanwhile, the Kashmir-based Pandit organisation, Kashmiri Pandit Sangarsh Samiti (KPSS), also condemned the killing. “It will be written as one of the black days in the history of Kashmir when such a refined and great Ulema was killed in a cowardly act,” president of the KPSS Sanjay K Tickoo said in a statement. He prayed for the peace to the departed soul and expressed solidarity with the bereaved family.

Srinagar, April 8
In view of the criticism and the apprehension that protests may revive during summer in Kashmir, the state government has decided to discuss the issue of Dogra certificate in the Cabinet to allay the fears of the changing demography of the state.

This assurance was given by Minister for Irrigation and PHE Taj Mohiuddin gave this assurance here today while addressing mediapersons to give the government’s clarification on the issue of Dogra certificate for the people of the Jammu region. He said the Dogra certificate was only an administrative order that was not desirable to be taken up in the state Cabinet.

Revenue Minister Raman Bhalla, who accompanied Taj, had issued the existing administrative orders without taking up the matter in the Cabinet, it was revealed. Taj said the Dogra certificate, which had raised apprehensions in the Kashmir valley that reservation would be given to the people of Jammu on ethnic grounds, did not promise reservation but gave only concession in some sectors. He asserted that such concessions in various sectors were already available to people belonging to different areas in the three regions of the state.

Besides Bhalla, Taj was accompanied by Minister of State for Tourism Nasir Aslam Wani (NC), and Devinder Singh Rana, political adviser to Chief Minister. Taj held that a wrong impression had been created due to the order. He allayed the fears that the Dogra certificate was aimed at giving reservation to people of a particular area or aimed at dividing the state on regional or religious lines. “The people (of Kashmir) should not be instigated by anyone on frivolous issues,” Taj said while replying to questions.

The government’s clarification on the issue came in view of the apprehensions by various sections of society in Kashmir. The hardline Hurriyat Conference led by Syed Ali Geelani has called for a shutdown on the issue on April 11. 

Jammu, April 8
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has indicted the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) Department for its failure in providing free ration to senior citizens under the Annapurna Scheme.

The scheme is meant for those senior citizens who come under the National Old Age Pension Scheme/State Pension Scheme and have no regular means of subsistence.

In its annual audit report, the CAG said with a view to ensuring food security to these senior citizens, 10 kg of foodgrains (wheat or rice) per month was to be provided to them free of cost. However, the CAPD Department failed to facilitate the senior citizens in this regard.

“In the Jammu division, 4,650 beneficiaries were covered under the scheme. The department also lifted foodgrains to the extent of 35-60 per cent during 2007-09, but no stocks were lifted during 2009-10, thus depriving the beneficiaries of food security under the scheme,” said the report.

It added that Rs 1.11 crore was allocated under the scheme during 2007-10, but only Rs 20 lakh was spent and the balance Rs 91 lakh was returned.

However, the Deputy Director, CAPD Department, Jammu, (Purchase and Supply) told the CAG that the non-allocation of foodgrains by the Administrative Department hindered their lifting. The report also stated that the department had identified 4,772 beneficiaries in the Kashmir valley, but it was observed that no foodgrain was issued by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) against Rs 35 lakh released to the department during 2009-10.

“The non-issuance of foodgrains not only deprived the beneficiaries of food security but also blocked Rs 35 lakh,” it said.

Besides, the decision of the Union Ministry of Home and Tribal Affairs to provide foodgrains at the Below Poverty Line (BPL) rates to the people living in welfare institutions such as beggar homes, hostels for Scheduled Castes/Scheduled tribes and Backward Classes students, Nari Niketan was also not implemented.

The report said the deputy commissioners of all districts had to assess the requirements in their respective districts and communicate to the FCI through the state government about the additional allocation.

“Records of four districts of Jammu, Kathua, Rajouri and Anantnag were checked and it was found that no additional allocation was made. With the result, 3,007.63 metric tonnes of foodgrains/sugar were issued to various institutions during 2007-10 at the Above Poverty Line (APL) rates,” it said.

However, the CAPD Department stated that the deputy commissioners had been instructed to verify the records before taking up the matter with the Central government. 

Jammu, April 8
Governor NN Vohra has called upon people to strengthen society by working together to take the state to the pinnacle of growth and prosperity.

“All of us need to work together unitedly to ensure a safe and promising future for the coming generations,” the Governor said after releasing a calendar titled “Dharam Bhaskar” at a function organised by the Dogra Brahmin Pratinidhi Sabha at Parade here today.

The calendar has been prepared by the Dogra Brahmin Pratinidhi Sabha to harmonise time and dates of various religious festivals by making calculations based on the local latitudinal and longitudinal readings.

Referring to the calendar, the Governor said it was based on the scientific work and suggested that it should be sent to the University of Jammu, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan and other institutions of higher learning so that continuous work could be done to secure its further refinement.

Referring to the sabha, the Governor said it was a very old organisation that had been doing a commendable job for society. He congratulated the sabha for its initiative in bringing out the calendar.

The sabha honoured the Governor by presenting him a memento and a shawl on the occasion. Meanwhile, the Governor gave away certificates to Vishwa Murti Shastri, Chander Mouli Raina, Uttam Chand Pathak, Mool Raj Malhan, Shiv Raina and Shastri Dev Dutt for preparing the panchang in the shape of the 12-fold calendar.

The function commenced with the lighting of the ceremonial lamp by the Governor and the Saraswati Vandana. Madan Lal Sharma, MP, urged the Governor to declare the Parushuram Jayanti as restricted holiday in the state and called for popularising the calendar. He added that greater unity of the people of all three regions was key to prosperity in the state.

BJP MLA Chaman Lal Gupta congratulated the team of scholars for putting in hard work to bring out the calendar. He complimented the sabha for bringing people of different communities on a platform.

Jammu, April 8
Even as the Agriculture Department has been claiming that it has been providing effective pesticides to minimise the effect of yellow rust, the authorities concerned has admitted that substandard fertilisers and pesticides are being supplied to the farmers of the state.

According to an official document, various samples of fertilisers and pesticides were collected on the complaints of the farmers and some of these samples were found to be of substandard quality. “Of the total samples of fertilisers and pesticides collected, 53 samples have been found to be of substandard quality till January this year,” Agriculture Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir has stated. Prosecution proceedings against 43 defaulters have been launched and 940 kg of pesticides have been seized from the dealers in five districts of the Kashmir division.

Although the officers concerned are tight-lipped over the issue, it is believed that yellow rust and other diseases, which had damaged the crops during the last two seasons, could not be controlled in some areas due to substandard pesticides or fertilisers.

In year 2009-10, 1,63,520 litres of pesticides in liquid form, 15,785 quintals in the form of power and 13,71,199 litres in the form of spray oil were brought into the state. Similarly, in year 2009-10, 115,345 metric tonnes of urea were imported and 89,697 metric tonnes of urea had been imported this year so far. Besides urea, other fertilisers were also imported in a huge quantity.

It is mentioned in the document that the testing of fertilisers was done as per the Fertiliser Control Order 1985 and the testing of pesticides was done as per the Insecticides Act 1968 and the Insecticides Rules 1971 as per the protocol laid down by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

Giving the details of the procedure of collecting samples and testing their quality, the document stated, “The samples of pesticides or fertilisers are collected by the authorities concerned notified as enforcement inspectors at various distribution points in various districts of the state in the presence of the witnesses and the dealers concerned after these areas are sealed. One sample is kept with the dealer concerned, the second is retained by the Enforcement Inspector as the referral sample while the third is given a code number before it is sent to the laboratory in or outside the state for quality check as per the prescribed parameters.”

Jammu, April 8
Accusing the NC-led coalition government of playing into the hands of communal elements, chief spokesman for the BJP Jatinder Singh said today that the state government had allowed yet another unwarranted controversy regarding Dogra certificate to snowball.

In a statement issued here today, Jatinder said while the NC-led government was never tired of accusing the BJP of being communal and divisive, the fact was that it were the ruling parties that had been playing communal and divisive politics to appease the separatists in the Valley.

He accused the coalition government of constantly defying the faith and self pride of the people of Jammu by raking up issues like Dogra certificate.

He added that the decision to issue Dogra certificates ought to be viewed above religious or caste lines and was only a reinforcement of the secular identity based on region and language, which was also given precedence in the Indian Constitution. As a result, after Independence the new states of the Indian Union were constituted on the linguistic lines.

Jatinder pointed towards the government’s tendency to backtrack in the face of separatists’ offensives and referred to Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s statement that “Dogra certificates are aimed at converting Jammu and Kashmir into a Dogra-desh”. He said even though Geelani’s observation was devoid of logic, the Kashmir-centric parties like the NC and the PDP had always been competing with each other to prove themselves more loyal than Geelani and at the same time seeking patronage of the Congress for their survival.

The Congress leadership needed to clear its position on a host of issues like the Dogra certificate, Jitender said. He added that instead of communalising the issue of Dogra certificate, the government should use it to reinforce the bonds of composite culture among various communities in the state.

Jammu, April 8
The Chief General Manager of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, Jammu and Kashmir, ML Sukhdeve, said today that 90 per cent of the farmers using Kisan credit cards across the state were repaying loans.

On the sidelines of a press conference here, Sukhdeve said, “So far, 42,000 kisan credit cards have been issued across the state and out of these 8,000 were issued this year alone”.

He added, “The Kisan Credit Card scheme of NABARD for the welfare of farmers has got a good response. Nearly 90 per cent of the farmers have been repaying debts”.

Sukhdeve said the card was valid for three years and the cardholders had to get it renewed after a stipulated time. “It has been observed that most of the farmers are using this scheme, as the state government is also helping us,” he added.

Sukhdeve admitted that though the bank had launched a number of projects to create awareness among the farmers about the schemes, these had not reached out to all villages. “Most of the people in villages don’t know English or Hindi. We have planned to telecast five documentaries in Dogri, Urdu and Punjabi languages so that these people could avail of the modern schemes being launched by the bank from time to time,” he said.

He added, “Earlier, we published some literature in Urdu, which proved helpful”. He said the bank had supported 300 Farmers Clubs in the state and all of them were doing well.

“To encourage financing of the agriculture and rural sector, a potential credit plan of Rs 3,204 crore has been planned for 2011-12,” said Sukhdeve. He added that the bank had sanctioned Rs 902 crore under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF). 

Jammu, April 8
Chief Electorate Officer BR Sharma issued the notification for the 7th phase of panchayat elections in the state today.

As per the notification, the last date for filing nominations for the Pouni block of Reasi district, Hiranagar block of Kathua district, Rajouri and Manjakote blocks of Rajouri district is April 18. The scrutiny of nomination papers will be held on April 19 and the last date for the withdrawal of
candidature is April 21. The polling and counting of votes will be held on May 8.

The election authority has fixed 8 am to 2 pm as the hours during which the poll shall, if necessary, be held on May 8. The counting of votes will held at 4 pm the same day at a place to be notified by the District Panchayat Election Officer concerned.

Jammu, April 8
The Baba Amarnath and Baba Buda Amarnath Yatri Niyas today stated that Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) and the state government had been adding to the confusion among people by expressing different views over the duration of the Amarnath yatra this year.

Addressing mediapersons here today, Niyas president Surinder Mohan Aggarwal regretted the SASB’s decision to reduce the duration of the Amarnath yatra to 46 days from 60 days this year.

This year, the SASB decided to make it a 46-day affair while Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, during an interaction with the Niyas, had said he had no reservation even if the yatra was held for three months, claimed Aggarwal.

He added that the Niyas as well as the people at large were confused over the divergent opinions of the government and the SASB.

“Such contradictions over the duration of the pilgrimage are sending a wrong message to the devotees in the country, who are eagerly looking forward to the pilgrimage every year,” said Aggarwal. “We would meet Governor NN Vohra again and request him to extend the duration of the yatra to 60 days,” he added.

Jammu, April 8
On World Health Day yesterday, the BSF Jammu Frontier organised various programmes for its personnel and their families here. A large number of BSF jawans, women and children took part in the event.

While addressing the troops, S Chattopadhyaya, IG, BSF, Jammu, underlined the importance of health. He said every person should try to remain healthy so as to work effectively and efficiently.

Dr Rakesh Bahal of the Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu, delivered a lecture on ‘physical health’ at the function. A medical camp was also organised for women and children. A marathon race at the Frontiers headquarters was also held.

Jammu, April 8
A young couple, who had tied the nuptial knot two years ago, allegedly attempted to commit suicide by jumping off a building in the Pratap Garh area of Jammu this morning. While the young woman died in hospital this evening, her 28-year-old husband was critically injured.

The police said Rajeev Kumar (28) and his wife Sunita Devi (25) today jumped off the third floor of a building in which they were living in a rented accommodation for the last three to four months. Both fell on the road in the main market, shocking the passersby and the local residents.

The man, who is said to be a resident of the BC Road area, had been living separately for the last six or seven months. Both husband and wife were rushed to the Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu, in a critical condition where Sunita succumbed to her injuries in the evening. Rajeev is struggling for life. The police said the reason behind the couple taking the extreme step was not known. — TNS