Jammu, June 10
Cutting across party lines, leaders of all political groups have been repeatedly demanding the revision of the existing lists of Below Poverty Line (BPL) families. It is widely alleged that some undeserving people have been included in the lists whereas deserving sections are ignored. The existing BPL lists were prepared way back in 2001 and now political parties have stepped up pressure on the concerned departments to revise them.

Earlier, when the issue was raised in the budget session of the Assembly in March, the government had promised to revise the lists, but no action has been taken so far.

Last year, the government constituted committees at district, tehsil and block headquarters to conduct a fresh survey of BPL families, but nothing is visible on ground as complaints have been pouring in regarding discrepancies in the lists.

During a function at Akhalpur village in Marh block, in which Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Ali Mohammad Sagar was the chief guest, leaders of the BJP, NC and Congress unanimously supported the demand for revising the lists.

Former minister and MLC Ajay Sadhotra, BJP MLA from Marh Choudhary Sukhnand and Congress MLA Indu Pawar had urged the minister to revise the lists to include genuine persons.

Similarly, Congress spokesman and MLC Ravinder Sharma while addressing a series of public meetings in Nowshera two days ago, also pointed out that deserving people had been denied the benefit of poverty alleviation schemes because their names were not included in the BPL lists. As people complained about discrepancies in the lists, he assured that the matter would be taken up with the authorities.

It is alleged that BPL lists were prepared in 2001 under political considerations. Some influential families were also included in the lists.

The Rural Development Minister has assured that the problem would be resolved once for all. He said the process of forming fresh BPL lists was underway and soon existing lists would be revised to include all genuine persons.

Earlier, the minister dedicated the newly created facilities to the people developed under the model village development scheme at Akhalpur village of Marh block with a number of facilities.

Referring to the smooth and peaceful conduct of Panchayat elections in the state, he said the large voter turnout was a pointer towards people’s craving for getting their developmental aspirations fulfilled by taking planning and decision making powers in their own hands. He said the constitution of panchayats marks a turning point in the history of the state as the government was committed to establish fully empowered three tier Panchayati system in the state where the common masses will have the powers to decide their fate.

Jammu, June 10
Jammu University did not deal with the case of Meera Bai, a domestic help who was brutalised at the residential quarters of women hostel warden, with the seriousness it deserved. The State Human Rights’ Commission (SHRC) has snubbed the university for its mishandling of the issue that remained in news in January 2009.

The commission has rubbished the report of the probe committee constituted by the university in the case stating that the statements of Meera and hostelers were misconstrued to save the skin of the accused warden. And as if this was not enough, even the medical report of the victim was wrongly referred in the final report of the probe committee.

Meera, a tribal girl, was allegedly sold to Amisha Gupta, warden of the Sarojini Naidu Girls Hostel, by a Delhi-based agent. She was allegedly subjected to inhuman treatment by the warden for two consecutive years.

On hearing the screams of the girl, hostelers rescued her from the warden. At that point of time, she was reportedly bleeding profusely.

Subsequently, hostelers launched an agitation against the warden seeking action against her. Meanwhile, Amisha was removed from the post of warden and an enquiry was constituted by the varsity to look into the matter.

Seeking attention of the SHRC, the complainants in this case, People’s Union for Civil Liberties and senior journalist Balraj Puri, had stated it a case of human trafficking, forced labour without pay, torture, non-rehabilitation and not returning to her parents as also slow and inadequate action by the varsity. The police and the government authorities had been appearing in the national press and had aroused popular indignation.

Taking cognisance of the case, the SHRC issued notices to Jammu University, the IGP and the accused warden to file report on the issue. Though the case is in the court presently, the commission in its annual report said significant facet of the case could not escape its notice.

“The matter was quite serious to invite disciplinary and other actions under the rules of the varsity in the case of its erring staffer Amisha Gupta, also in charge warden of Sarojini Naidu Hostel,” the commission stated, adding that, “The observations of the provost of the hostel on the written complaint of the hostelers and reporting of matter to the police by the registrar of the varsity is quite serious and call for action on part of the university”.

Coming down heavily on the probe committee of the varsity, comprising Prof Neelam Saraf, Prof VP Magotra, Prof NK Tripathi and Prof Suman Jamwal, the commission observed that the committee simply led to the wastage of time.

“In its report made available to the commission, ex-facie an attempt is made to save the warden and give her an escape route, besides to cool down the situation to her advantage,” the report says. “Its report is untrue and wrong in the face of written statements of the provost and hostelers. The medical report of the victim was also wrong and out of context referred in its report by the committee,” it added.

“Instead of looking into the allegations of the misconduct of the warden, the committee made a report concentric to Meera and that too by ignoring her statements besides those of eyewitnesses,” the commission’s report says. In its recommendation, the commission expressed hope that the vice-chancellor will do well to scrap the report. “As mandated by the law, he is to take such action as may be necessary for the dignity of the university,” it said.

Seeking an ATR from the varsity, the commission further recommended that besides action taken on criminal side, the disciplinary action needs to be taken in this regard to uphold the dignity of life and equality.

Jammu, June 10
Sudden rain in the city and nearby areas last night has brought relief to residents who have been braving the extreme weather conditions in the wake of unschedule power cuts and inadequate water supply.

Rice growers in the district too got a reason to smile as the sowing season is at its 
peak and the sudden dip in the temperature with rainfall has given moisture to 
the land.

The rain, which lashed along with speedy winds last night, has brought down the temperature with the maximum hovering around 38 degree Celsius, down from 42 degree Celsius yesterday while the maximum humidity went up to 88 per cent.

Harjeet Singh, a rice grower in Kullian village, said: “The moderate rain has not only brought the temperature down, but also it has increased the humidity level, which is good for the crop”.

“Earlier, we were lifting water, but with this rain there will be no need of lifting water for the next two or three days,” he added.

Officials of the Meteorological and the Agriculture Department also predict rain in the coming days.

A senior agriculture scientist at the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Jammu, said: “There is a possibility of rain in the next two-three days, which will definitely give more respite to the farmers”.

On the other hand, high-velocity winds caused damage to electricity poles of the Power Development Department (PDD) and power supply lines developed snags.

Though officials of the PDD were immediately pressed into service to restore power supply, yet in some parts the situation was almost the same.

Shabnam Goni, chief engineer of the PDD, said: “We are assessing the total loss caused by the recent spell of rain and speedy winds. It will take a week’s time to prepare the report of the total loss”.

Jammu, June 10
A vintage tank which remained buried in the Ravi in Lakhanpur for years, has been taken out by an Army team led by Col Bhartinder Kesar of Armoured Brigade.

It was a 10-hour-long operation carried out by the armymen, which finally saw the recovery of the tank from the riverbed.

Though villagers who sauntered near the tank knew about it, it was only after some civilians informed the Army about a tank-like structure lying buried in the river that the latter took up the matter seriously.

After getting the information, a team of experts led by Colonel Kesar went there and launched an operation to retrieve the huge junk.

“We were given clear instructions not to endanger the lives of populace and that is why it took more than 10 hours for us to accomplish the tedious task, Colonel Kesar told The Tribune.

As the operation progressed, the vintage tank slowly emerged from the river. Before launching the operation, the entire area was sanitised because there could have been shells or explosives in the rusted machine and Ravi bridge was barely 500 yards away from the site of the operation, said Colonel Kesar.

After removing the tank, it was taken to Mamum Cantonment near Pathankot. The team in-charge had a special word of praise for Kathua district administration and Lakhanpur SHO Amit Sangra.

Without their cooperation the operation would not have been possible, said the Army officer.

However, the Army has now started investigations to know how the huge machine remained submerged in the river for years. “It is a crucial issue. It is a rare thing. We are working on it,” he said.

Official sources confided to The Tribune that a team from Arms Ordnance Factory is likely to visit Mamun cantonment to ascertain the tank’s make, type and other features.

Kathua DC Zahida Khan said, “We have been given the impression that the tank was washed away in floods during the 1965 war. But this year, because of less water in the river, some portion of it emerged, which was noticed by some scrap dealers, who tried to extract metal but they failed in their attempt”.

Later, they informed the police and then the district administration approached the Army for requisite action, she said, adding that even the Army knew that a tank had been washed away in floods years back.

The tank with a broken canon had no colour, emblem and insignia on it.

Though the recent Census in the state has shown a considerable increase in the literacy rate, a lot needs to be done in this regard. Besides Urdu, the official language of the state, the vast linguistic culture has many local languages or mother tongues of people living in different regions or areas depending upon the culture and race. However, English remains beyond these boundaries. Though it is being taught from the primary school level now, the common man on the street is not yet familiar with the semantics the language. As a result, different English words are wrongly pronounced or spelt out, particularly in the “literate” class and not the educated lot.

Srinagar, June 10
Scholars, writers, social workers, parliamentarians and educationists have unanimously underlined the importance of peace in strengthening social fabric and usher the state into the era of progress and development.

Speaking at a function, organised by the Gandhian Global Family (GGF) to pay tributes to one of the pioneer members of the family Sunil Dutt here at Government B.Ed College recently, the speakers observed that peace was of paramount importance in progress and development of the state for which every right thinking person should come forward and play his role.

It was Sunil Dutt, who had demanded opening of an international airport in early 90s so that tourists are able to visit Srinagar without any inconvenience and hitch, the speakers were quoted as saying. It was noted with concern that air fare from Delhi to Srinagar ranges from Rs 15,000 to Rs 18,000, which they observed hampers tourist influx into the Valley in view of being highly exorbitant.

The speakers demanded unanimously that night landing facilities should be made operational so that airport remains functional on 24x7 basis and fares were brought down to Rs 2000 to Rs 3000 from Delhi to Srinagar to put an end to the sufferings of people on this account.

Speaking on the occasion, former MP AR Shaheen called for involving youth in peace promotion activities. He said peace was imperative to nurture age-old Kashmiri ethos of brotherhood, tolerance and harmonious living.

SP Verma, chairman of the GGF, highlighted the role of Gandhi Global Family in universalising the concept of brotherhood and communal harmony. He said the great ideals of Mahatma Gandhi were increasingly gaining popularity worldwide, adding that Ahimsa philosophy as propounded by him was the best way to narrow down differences and cement friendship.

Srinagar, June 10
The Tae Kwon Do Association of India has selected 10 schoolgirls from Jammu and Kashmir, who will represent the country in an International Tae Kwon Do Championship to be held in Nepal.

The championship will be held towards the end of June and is expected to witness participation from over 11 countries.

According to Shuja Sarwar, Jammu and Kashmir Tae Kwon Do Association general secretary, parents of the selected girls were lending full support and the girls had also been religiously practicing for the forthcoming tournament.

“These girls have been practicing very hard for the past 20 days for the forthcoming championship. Their parents are supportive and they want their children to succeed not only in Nepal, but also all over the world. We also hope that these children shine and bring accolades for the state,” he said.

He also added that the girls initially learnt the game for self-defence, however, their will and enthusiasm might lead them to take it up as their profession in the future.

Elated at her selection, Maliya Khan, a tae kwon do student, said: “Girls today have the potential to learn the game and perform it to achieve excellence”.

“Earlier, there was no concept of this game in the region. People were not inclined towards the game and did not think that girls could play it. However, recently a lot of attention is being paid to the game and girls are being given the opportunity to prove their mettle,” Khan said.

“Girls today have the potential to learn the game and succeed. We are trying to prove the same by participating in this championship,” she added.

The girls were selected out of more than 30 boys and girls who had gone for the National Tae Kwon Do Championships during February and March. — ANI

Srinagar, June 10
The Jammu and Kashmir government has directed the Handloom Development Department to ensure the effective implementation of a centrally sponsored initiative to promote the centuries old handloom industry of the state.

The directive was given by State Industries and Commerce Minister SS Slathia during a review meeting of the Handloom Development Department here, an official spokesperson said recently.

Slathia asked the officers of the departments to accomplish the assigned task of modernisation of handlooms to check the flood of machine-made fabrics in the market.

“The tradition of weaving by hand constitutes one of the richest and most vibrant aspects of the economic and cultural heritage of our state, known for its intricate and specialised fabric weaving and designs,” he said.

The Minister called for effective implementation of all handloom promotional initiatives with a special focus on cluster development programmes and group approach schemes sanctioned by the Centre for the upliftment of weavers.

He laid emphasis on skill upgradation of handloom weavers, evolving new designs and provision of adequate marketing support to weavers to make their handloom products competitive in the market.

Formation of more handloom corporative societies would be immensely beneficial in this regard, the Minister added.

Slathia also ordered a 10 per cent special rebate on the sale of handloom products to make these acceptable and competitive against power loom products. He said the Centre had sanctioned two yarn depots, one each for Srinagar and Jammu.

In addition, 317 weavers had been provided new looms and 260 weavers were provided margin money, while 12,320 weavers were brought under health ensure schemes, the spokesperson said. — PTI

Srinagar, June 10
In significant development, the Department of Agriculture for the first time supplied high-quality paddy seeds to the Seed Corporation of Karnataka for multiplication in Karnataka.

The Seed Corporation of Karnataka got the high-quality consignment of 90 quintals of Paddy Jaya seed from the department recently. This was disclosed at a review meeting chaired by Minister for Agriculture Ghulam Hassan Mir.

Mir said it was an encouraging trend in the department and added that it showed the result of collective efforts by all stakeholders of the department that its activities were now recognised outside the state.

He hoped that the department would continue these efforts to achieve the target for making the state a leading quality seed producing state in the country.

He directed for introducing latest agriculture techniques in seed production and other farming practices for achieving the goal. Regarding the revenue realisation, the Minister stressed upon all directors of agriculture and its allied departments to meet their targets at any cost, as it was the only way to further improve farm techniques in their farms, including other activities in other sectors.

He said there was an improvement in certain agriculture farms but a lot needed to be done to explore the potential of these agriculture farms to make them model for the farming community.

He directed them to utilise all land holdings of these farms in better way to produce the maximum crop production.

Asking to fix the target for field agencies to meet out the target, the Minister said any officer if fails in achieving the desired target, stringent action would be taken against the defaulter as per the service rules. He said: “If agriculture technocrats could not show desirable results having every facility, how we can expect that ordinary farmer show good result”.

The Minister was informed that an amount of Rs 3.38-crore revenue had been realised by the department during the last fiscal. He directed to have a meeting with the Finance Department to fix their targets regarding various activities for this fiscal.