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Centre to spend Rs 10,000 cr on skill upgrade of youth
Return of Kashmiri Pandits positive step: Farooq
Paddy sowing season about to start
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Faridabad
Air Crash
Tribune Impact
2 teachers suspended, salary of 10 others withheld
Posts of police constable
Wrestling dangal at Bhaderwah Tourism Festival
Proposed visit of GOC, Delta Force, to China diplomatic exercise: Ex-Army officer
Infiltration of Militants
Voters boycott panchayat poll in Geelani’s village
LeT ultra killed in Doda
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Centre to spend Rs 10,000 cr on skill upgrade of youth
He said the two decades of turmoil in the Kashmir valley had affected education of the youth. He added that he had come to the Valley to tell the youth that the entire nation stood by them. “We want to show the people of Kashmir the emotional bond that the people of India share with them,” Ashwani said. Earlier addressing a function, the minister announced 12 steps that his department would take for the overall development of the students community in the Valley vis-ŕ-vis encouraging the students to take up science as their subject. “We would be giving 10 international fellowships to scientists from Jammu and Kashmir to train abroad. Nowadays, Indian scientists, who work in other countries, want to return and work in India, as our country now provides many opportunities to them,” he said. Earlier Ashwani, who is also the Minister of State for Planning, met Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and discussed with him the steps being taken by the Central government to enhance the employability of the educated youth of the state and boost the skill development programme. Explaining the initiatives the state government had taken in this field, the Chief Minister also received an appraisal of Central initiatives for the state. He said the employment sector being in the focus of the state required a comprehensive and coordinated approach to achieve encouraging results. “The state government has attached highest importance to tackle the unemployment crisis in the state. Various measures, including employability enhancement and skill development, are in place to expand the job avenues for the youth,” he said. Ashwani stressed on a unified and specialised drive by the state and Central governments in this direction. He presented a resume of 12 new initiatives taken by the Ministry of Science and Technology for specific research programme and advanced trainings to the youth in the state. |
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Return of Kashmiri Pandits positive step: Farooq
“The solution will have to be acceptable to Ladakh, Jammu, Kashmir valley and Pakistan,” Farooq said. On how he interpreted the return of a few Kashmiri Pandit families to the Valley almost after two decades, Farooq said it was a positive step that would have far-reaching results. Expressing happiness at the participation of the Kashmiri Pandits in the political process in the state, the Union minister said the government should facilitate in providing land and property to the Kashmiri Pandits, who wanted to return to the Valley.He added that things were moving towards a positive direction in the state. Farooq said the huge turnout in the panchayat elections in the state was an indicator of the phenomenon. Today, even separatists were talking about growth and development, he added. On being asked whether he still stood by the Autonomy Resolution of 1953, which his government had passed again in 2000, he said, “The resolution has to be understood in the light of finding a solution to the tragedy of more than six decades”. On whether he accepted Pakistan as a party to the Kashmir issue, Farooq said, “They are talking to Pakistan everyday. India has been talking to them on the issue. Vajpayee had gone there to talk about it”. He said the solution to the Kashmir issue could only be within the framework of the Indian Constitution and there would be no compromise on the territory. He said if India could coexist with Nepal, it could coexist with Pakistan as well. Farooq expressed concern over the instances of the Chinese intrusions being reported from Kashmir on a regular basis. |
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Paddy sowing season about to start
Chadwal (Kathua), May 26 Only a week is left for the crop sowing season, but the dilapidated condition of the canals and their distributaries is still a major concern for farmers. “The paddy crop requires adequate amount of water during its initial days of sowing and if it does not receive enough water, the sapling wilts and dies. The condition of the canals and their distributaries is very poor and most of them are dry, thus adding to our worries,” said Harjeet Singh, a farmer at Chadwal village. He said the department concerned had totally failed in performing its duty. “The situation is worsening with every passing year and if it remains the same for the next few years, we will have no option but to change our occupation,” Harjeet added. A visit to various villages in the region, including the Kathua, Samba and RS Pura areas, revealed that the situation was almost similar everywhere “The condition of the canals speaks much about the functioning of the department concerned,” said Narinder Singh, another farmer. Narinder alleged that there was a nexus between officials of the Irrigation Department and the Agriculture Department. “This is the basic reason why no one pays attention or bothers about our plight,” he added. Chaudhary Devraj, president of the Rice Growers Association, also accused the state government for not providing an adequate amount of water for irrigation. “Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and other ministers speak a lot about their work, but the reality is different. No work has been done to facilitate the rice growers of this area. The sowing season is about to start and if the government is really serious to solve the problems of the farming community, they should take some serious and speedy steps to save the farmers,” said Devraj. However, Irrigation Minister Taj Mohi-ud-Din has recently said they had done their job and there was nothing to worry. “Water has been released in most of the canals and de-silting process has also been finished,” he said. |
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Faridabad
Air Crash
Srinagar, May 26 Syed Arshad Abbas was working as an emergency medical officer with the hospital, the sources told IANS. He was on board the air ambulance when it crashed in Faridabad last night, a senior doctor told IANS on phone. “Abbas belonged to Nowlari village, near Pattan town in Baramulla district, 24 km from Srinagar. He was pursuing his fellowship in emergency medicine in the hospital,” the doctor said. “His duty included emergency medical evacuation and rescue of critically-ill patients. He was evacuating a patient from Patna to Delhi when the crash occurred,” he added. After the autopsy and other medical formalities, the body of the young, unmarried doctor from Baramulla will be flown to Srinagar for burial. The Pilatus PC-12 single-engined turbo-prop aircraft was flying to Delhi from Patna, rushing a seriously-ill patient for specialised medical treatment when it crashed around 10.40 pm, five minutes after it lost contact with the air traffic control at the Delhi airport, aviation officials said. The aircraft was descending from 8,000 feet when it went off the ATC radar, they said. It crashed into a two-storey house in a thickly populated area of Faridabad and 20 fire tenders were rushed to the spot for rescue operations, the police said in Chandigarh. While seven of those killed were on board the air ambulance, three women died on the ground after the plane crashed into their house.
— IANS |
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Tribune Impact
Principal of MCM DAV College for Girls, Chandigarh, Dr Puneet Bedi expressed her desire to sponsor the bright girl after reading about her poor financial condition in these columns. She informed over phone today that her college would be happy to provide Rimpy free education in any academic discipline of her interest as well as hostel and other facilities. “At our college, we always strive to promote girls as leaders by providing wholesome education. I believe this girl has the potential to excel. So, I will be very happy to have her under our care,” she said. Moved by her story, a prominent Jammu-based hotelier and philanthropist, HS Anand, also got in touch with The Tribune after reading the report and wished to sponsor the educational needs of Rimpy, whose father plies an auto-rickshaw while mother stitches clothes to run the family having three daughters. Rimpy’s elder sister too has secured the first division in the same examination this year. Anand has offered to admit Rimpy to the B.Ed course free of cost in his college at Kathua. “But I am willing to support her even if she is interested in pursuing some other course or postgraduation,” he said. Earlier, a Jammu-based meditation music therapist, Raj Kumar Dogra, offered to bear the entire cost of her studies, stay, food and clothing. Dogra and his wife also committed to becoming her local guardians and approaching the Vice-chancellor of the University of Jammu regarding her admission. |
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2 teachers suspended, salary of 10 others withheld
Udhampur, May 26 The two teachers of the school, Sadardin and Mushtaq Ahmed, were placed under suspension after they were found absent from duty during a surprise checking by
SDM, Mahore, Sher Singh. The salary of 10 more erring teachers of seven other government schools were ordered to be withheld for being on leave without proper permission as well as for the improper maintenance of school records. Interestingly, Director, School Education Board, Gulzar Ahmed Quraishi had on May 23 suspended 20 teachers of various government schools in
Katra, Pouni and Reasi blocks of the district during checking. On May 21, Chief Education Officer (CEO),
Reasi, KK Sharma had suspended six teachers of Government Middle School,
Katra, for being absent from duty. “This is the height of dereliction of duty,” quipped the
SDM, who had to wait outside the school at Suli village when he visited it following complaints against the teachers. “The opening time of all government schools is 8 am but when I reached there around 8.45 am, the gate of the school was locked and the students were waiting outside,” he said. The erring teachers of other schools were issued a show cause notice and directed to submit their replies within three days. Their salaries have also been withheld till the receipt of a satisfactory reply. Sharma expressed helplessness in curbing truancy among teachers. He maintained that regular monitoring of teachers’ attendance was being done but without much success. About a provision for a stern deterrent like the
termination of services, he said the provision of such an action was very much there. He termed political pressure as a big deterrent in initiating such an action. |
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Posts of police constable
Jammu, May 26 The police said today that three youths furnished fake degrees of graduation while the five others applied for the posts on the basis of fake mark sheets of the senior secondary level. They have been identified as Gautam Singh of Chowadi; Vijay Kumar of Churta, Jammu; Sanjeev Kumar of Saroot in Jammu; Anil Magotra of Patoli; Chamel Singh of Manchak in Akhnoor; Jatinder Kumar of lower Bishnah; Anil Kumar of Chak Cheema in Bishnah; and Vijay Singh of Ambaran in Akhnoor. |
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Wrestling dangal at Bhaderwah Tourism Festival
Udhampur, May 26 It is being organised jointly by the J&K Indian Style Wrestling Association, Bhaderwah Development Authority (BDA) and the District Administration, Doda, as part of the four-day annual festival. The decision in this regard was taken at a meeting in Jammu under the chairmanship of Shiv Kumar Sharma, president of the J&K Indian Style Wrestling Association. Sharma, who is also the member of the J&K State Sports Council, appreciated the Deputy Commissioner, Doda, Farooq Ahmed Khan, Chief Executive Officer, BDA, Kalyan Singh and Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Bhadarwah, SV Meena for sanctioning Rs 50,000 for the competition. He said the winner would be awarded a “Silver Gurj” and “Patta” in addition to the cash prize. The dangal would be held on a traditional mud akhara and prominent wrestlers from Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir would participate in it. Cash prizes would be given to all participants, in addition to the complimentary accommodation, food and both sides fare, added Sharma. “We look forward to a big turnout at the competition. It will be the first major wrestling competition in the area,” said Jai Raj, District Youth Services and Sports officer, Doda, who has been nominated as the chairman of the Technical Committee. The competition is set to enhance the increasing popularity of the festival, as the organisers have decided to make it a permanent feature in the coming editions of the festival. |
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Proposed visit of GOC, Delta Force, to China diplomatic exercise: Ex-Army officer
Jammu, May 26 Even as India had refused to host a Chinese General for a day on June 1 last year, the proposed visit of Major-Gen Gurmeet Singh, GOC, Delta Force, to China next month would purely be a diplomatic exercise, said Brig SS Saini, president of the Jammu and Kashmir Poorva Sainik Seva Parishad. “Our ministry has cited a hectic schedule to refuse a stopover request from the Chinese General, as we simply cannot attend to him at that particular time. At the same time, we cannot digest the fact that the Chinese troops are being utilised in Pakistan and that they are even noticed close to the Line of Control in occupied Kashmir. But despite all deterrents and roadblocks, the resumption of the defence dialogue between the two countries is a step in the right direction,” said Brigadier Saini. It would certainly improve the bilateral ties between India and China, he added. Both countries are set to resume the defence dialogue after one year when New Delhi had suspended military exchanges with Beijing in the wake of the latter’s refusal to grant visa to Lt-Gen Jaswal for an official trip to China. However, a defence analyst said like Pakistan, China could not be taken on its face value. India was closely monitoring the situation in the sub-continent, particularly the involvement of the Chinese troops in raising infrastructure in Pakistan and occupied Kashmir in the form of roads, tunnels and bridges, the analyst said. Unless Beijing comes clear that it was neither pro-Pakistan nor pro-India and had a neutral stand, we should not trust it much, he added. The defence dialogue between the two countries resumed after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Beijing in April this year. “The denial of visa to Lt-Gen Jaswal (retd) last year had not gone down well with the Army in the state. But this time around we hope that Major-Gen Gurmeet Singh heads the delegation to China, as his name has already been cleared by Beijing,” he said. In the interest of peace and stability, it becomes imperative for both countries to look at bigger issues confronting the region in particular and the world at large, he added. |
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Infiltration of Militants
“Now that the Chief Minister has himself admitted to cross-border infiltration from the PoK, the NC-led government should henceforth stop issuing statements that demoralise the security forces,” suggested Jitendra. He added that the security issues should not be put to use for political expediency. Jitendra referred to the recent statements of Chief of Army Staff General VK Singh favouring the deployment of troops and said the sensitive security issues were beyond the prerogative of any minister or political party. Ridiculing the coalition government’s claims of confidence building measures (CBMs), Jitendra said the most visible CBM would be to reduce the level of personal security enjoyed by the ministers and the Chief Minister himself. He said the Kashmir-centric political parties were competing with each other to appease separatists by criticising the security forces. He also cautioned the government against the reported recommendation by the interlocutors for the withdrawal of troops from the Valley. “The interlocutors are exceeding their brief by acting like spokesmen for separatist-friendly Kashmir politicians,” he said. |
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Shiv Sena protests against corruption
Jammu, May 26 “Omar had claimed to give a corruption-free government and act tough against corrupt officials. But no action has been taken by his government to fight corruption till now,” he said. Gupta said after the cross-voting episode Omar had said he would resign if it was proved that his party men made any payment to the BJP legislators. However, he failed to explain, Gupta added. |
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Voters boycott panchayat poll in Geelani’s village
Srinagar, May 26 Dooru village in Baramulla district, the native village of the hardline leader of the Hurriyat Conference, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, totally boycotted the elections. The boycott in the village was so much evident that not even a single candidate filed the nomination papers for either the sarpanch or panch posts. The entire Zaingeer block in Sopore town witnessed less than 27 per cent polling in the 11 th phase of the panchayat elections yesterday.
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LeT ultra killed in Doda
Udhampur, May 26 Based on intelligence inputs regarding the presence of two hardcore LeT terrorists on the upper reaches of Doda district, a RR battalion and the police launched a joint operation in the Ludna area of the Gundna block of the district. The operation was conducted in a surgical manner with zero collateral damage, resulting in the elimination of one of the ultras, identified as Mohammad Ishaq Lone, alias Munazzil. The other terrorist managed to escape taking advantage of the darkness and difficult terrain, said officials. — TNS |
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