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Centre must consider CM's views on AFSPA: Farooq
‘Custodial death’ of NC worker
PDP leader, two women killed in road mishap
Bumper production of almond, walnut in state this year
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‘Inculcate values of hard work in students’
Jammu, November 17 The First Lady, Usha Vohra, has called upon teachers and parents of students to inculcate the values of hard work, sincerity, dedication and honesty among the younger generation to equip them for shouldering their responsibilities towards nation building.
Sappers to celebrate Raising Day today
Army holds ex-servicemen rally at Kalakote
Singer Seema Sehgal to preform in Karachi
No deaths due to rabies, says Medical Officer
CM meets Governor
Petrol stations in Jammu witness heavy rush
Rock carving of Buddha excavated in Suru Kartse valley
5-kg IED defused in Kupwara
Top Hizbul militant killed in Shopian
Harsh seeks special session of Assembly
Govt college, Parade, wins hockey tourney
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Centre must consider CM's views on AFSPA: Farooq
New Delhi, November 17 The New and Renewable Energy Minister said the security situation in the state had improved and the Act must go from some areas there. “I feel the time has come when the state is on the mend and from some of the areas there the AFSPA should go because people feel that things are getting normal,” he said when asked about his views on the issue. “As Chief Minister, I am the boss. I get the inputs from all agencies. Today, if the Chief Minister feels that conditions are better and our relations with Pakistan are improving then I feel that we should take his view also with courage,” the former Jammu and kashmir Chief Minister said. Omar is demanding revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act from certain parts of the state, a move which is opposed by the Army, which is saying that the decision would handicap its ability to operate there. Abdullah said he and his family "will die but not do anything which will hurt the interest of the country". He said Omar had met all Central ministers in charge of security along with the Army chief and they would take a decision on the issue. Abdullah said India's relations with Pakistan had also improved after the meeting between the two Prime Ministers but cautioned that before taking any step, New Delhi should be careful as Army was "still in command" in Islamabad. “We have to be very careful. Whatever steps have to be taken, they have to be taken with great care with all the things being understood carefully,” he said. On the Indo-Pak ties, Abdullah said: “Our Prime Minister has high hopes on the issue but our Defence Minister is wary.” Commenting on the Unified Headquarters, which has been entrusted the task of taking a decision on the AFSPA issue, Abdullah said he was the one who had created the command there which had been opposed by the then Army Chief General Shankar Roychowdhury. Attacking BJP leader L K Advani’s statement that the Army was being “demonised” in J-K, Abdullah asked: “Where was he when the NDA Government was releasing five top terrorists in a special aircraft in Afghanistan”.
— PTI |
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‘Custodial death’ of NC worker
Jammu, November 17 Earlier just the PDP, which is the arch rival of the NC, was raking up the issue but now the Panthers Party and the central leadership of the BJP have also started targeting the ruling coalition on the controversy. Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley, while addressing the Jan Chetna Yatra on Wednesday, spoke about the controversy. Without naming Syed Yousuf, Jaitley said how could “touts offering ministerial berths and membership to the Legislative Council have access to the Chief Minister’s residence”. He also termed the Omar-led regime a “corrupt” government. “The BJP leadership has forthrightly put forward the issue of the ‘mysterious death’ of Syed Yousuf to highlight the rampant corruption in the NC-Congress coalition government,” said chief spokesman of the state unit of the BJP Jatinder Singh. The BJP has also questioned the wisdom of having Omar Abdullah as Chief Minister of a sensitive state like Jammu and Kashmir. Today the Panthers Party also brought up the Syed Yousuf issue and observed that Omar Abdullah had raked up the controversy of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) just to divert the attention of the country from the Yousuf issue. “Syed Yousuf was murdered in the Chief Minister’s residence because he had threatened to expose some leaders,” chief of Panthers Party Bhim Singh alleged while interacting with mediapersons here this afternoon. Singh, who has already filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court demanding a CBI inquiry into the case, demanded sacking of Omar Abdullah to ensure an impartial probe. Singh said the credibility of the Chief Minister was under question after the “murder” of Syed Yousuf. The Panthers Party chief said his party would aggressively take up the issue in the days to come to ensure an impartial probe. Omar’s tweet draws BJP’s ire
A war of words started between the BJP and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah after the latter made some remarks on Advani’s Jan Chetna Yatra. Reacting to Omar Abdullah’s tweet about the yatra in which he had termed the function as a “flop show”, chief spokesman of the BJP Jatinder Singh said: “It is interesting to note that the CM was keenly following Advani's Jan Chetna Yatra and we hope that he would also follow the ideology behind the Jan Chetna Yatra". “The CM needs to revise his elementary mathematics because even going by the media reports, the number of people at the Jammu rally was much more than the figure reportedly quoted by the CM,” BJP spokesman added. |
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PDP leader, two women killed in road mishap
Bhadarwah, November 17 The deceased have been identified as Rehmatullah Malik (56), provincial general secretary of the PDP, Naseema Begum (45), her daughter Mehrulnissa (19), all residents of Marwah
in Kishtwar district. Naseema’s another daughter Furkanissa (21) was seriously injured and admitted to the Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu. Kishtwar-based businessman Suraj Prakash, who was travelling in his vehicle behind Malik’s car, said the mishap took place around 10 am near the fertiliser godown of the Jammu and Kashmir Cooperative Department, near Assar, when Malik, who was driving his Santro car, failed to negotiate a sharp turn while avoiding a speeding Tempo coming from the opposite direction. The car skidded of the road and rolled down 200 feet. All the three died on the spot. The woman and her daughters were Malik’s tenants. Malik was on his way to Jammu to attend the marriage of his niece, daughter of a former Deputy Commissioner of Doda, Khurshid Ahmed Bhat. A devout Muslim, Malik had stopped at Thathri around 6 am and offered namaz at a mosque there, said a close family friend. Naseema was going to Rajouri via Jammu to drop Mehrulnissa, who is studying engineering at Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University. Since Malik was a well-known social worker, state-level trade unionist and educationist, markets and some private schools were closed as a mark of respect to the departed soul after the news about his death reached Kishtwar. He had led several trade union struggles and was arrested a number of times. Members of the District Bar Association, Kishtwar, district unit of the Congress, trade and business organisations of Kishtwar have mourned Malik’s death. Malik was running Asraria Valley Public School at Kishtwar. He had unsuccessfully contested the last Assembly election on the ticket of the Democratic Party Nationalist (DPN) from the Inderwal constituency in 2008. He had later joined the PDP and was its provincial general secretary. Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner, Doda, Farooq Ahmed Khan, today interacted with owners, drivers and conductors of private transport vehicles at Thathri, Pul Doda and the Bus Stand, Doda, in the wake of frequent road accidents in the district. He exhorted them to ensure self-regulation while travelling on the roads. “Though the administration and the traffic police are trying their best, I warned the private operators to strictly comply with the traffic rules to prevent accidents, which resulted in the loss of
precious human lives,” said Khan. |
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Bumper production of almond, walnut in state this year
“Last year, the department had done business of almost Rs 200 crore, and it is expected to cross the figure of Rs 300 crore this financial year,” said Mohammad Javed Khan, Director, Horticulture Planning and Marketing Department. Khan added, “Due to favourable climate in the Kashmir valley and the kandi areas in the Jammu region, there is an increase in the production of almond and walnut, which will definitely increase the revenue collection.” Khan further maintained that the quality of almonds and walnuts was very good in Kupwara, Budgam, Uri and Rajouri districts of
the state. “Our dry fruits are very popular in European countries, especially due to the organic farming. The growers here do not use urea,” Khan said, adding that the demand for the state’s dry fruits was much higher than the total production. He said the white walnut, which was considered the best variety of walnut, grew only in Jammu and Kashmir. “Walnut is good for health, as it controls the cholesterol level in the body. The demand for walnut from other countries has been increasing,” said Khan. The maximum business of dry fruit takes place at the Narwal market in Jammu, which is the biggest market of dry fruit in the country. Khan said the department normally exports 1 kg of walnuts at a price of Rs 700-800 and 1 kg of almonds for Rs 450-500. |
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‘Inculcate values of hard work in students’
Jammu, November 17 Addressing a Children’s Day function organised by the Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam Welfare Society, Rajiv Nagar, Narwal, at Government College for Women, Gandhinagar, here on November 14, Usha Vohra said the teachers had the vital responsibility of enabling the children to develop their potential talents and for grooming the youth to become proud citizens of the country. She emphasised the importance of taking all possible measures to motivate and enable the dropouts to continue their education as education was the key to all individual growth and societal progress. Paying homage to Jawaharlal Nehru on his birth anniversary, Usha Vohra appreciated the spectacular cultural programme presented by the children on the occasion on the theme of patriotism and pluralistic ethos. She lauded the continuing good work being done by the Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam Welfare Society and presented a cheque for Rs 50,000 to the society on behalf of Governor NN Vohra. She also released a brochure “Surging Steps” brought out by the society on the occasion. She also presented school uniforms to two students, which had been designed by the society. She gave away prizes to the winners of a painting competition organised by the society last month, as well as gifts to those who had excelled in academics. In her welcome address, Prof Ved Kumari Ghai, president of the society, threw light on the functioning of the society during the past 24 years and its contribution to facilitating education and training of children belonging to the underprivileged sections of society. She thanked Usha Vohra for taking keen interest in the activities of the society. |
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Inter-college debate organised
Jammu, November 17 Haffiza Muzzafar, secretary of the Jammu and Kashmir Women Commission, was the chief guest on the occasion, while Dr Renu Gupta, Director of the MIER Group of Institutions, presided over the function. Eminent academicians, including Dr Surinder Kaur, Controller Examinations, MIER, Dr BL Raina, Dr Annie Koul and Rajendra Praveen graced the occasion. Dr Kulwant Kaur, Professor and Head of Political Science Department, University of Jammu, Madhu Gupta, former Director, Centre for Women Studies, GGM Science College, Jammu, and Rashmil Mishra, Placement Officer, MIET, were the jury members. Sixteen students from various colleges of the city participated in the debate. |
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Sappers to celebrate Raising Day today
Jammu, November 17 The Corps of Engineers comprises the Combat Engineers, the Military Engineering Service (MES), the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and the Military Survey personnel. “The Corps of Engineers is one of the oldest arms of the Army. The origin of this corps dates back to 1780 when two regular pioneer companies were raised in the Madras Presidency Army,” the statement said. It added, “Subsequently, the Group of Madras, Bengal and Bombay Sappers were formed in their respective presidencies. These groups came together when the British Indian Army was formed after 1857 and were later merged on November 18, 1932, to form the Corps of Indian Engineers.” “Till 1911, the Sappers also had the onerous charge of passing battlefield messages. Between 1911 and 1920 they handed this burgeoning task to a batch of their own kinsmen, who then formed the Corps of Signals. The Sappers also contributed the first batch of airmen, known as Hawa Sipahis, when the Indian Air Force was raised in 1932,” the statement said. It added, “General PS Bhagat of the Corps remains the first Indian officer to have won the Victoria Cross in the Second World War. Another first in the same war, Subedar Subramaniam, was awarded the George Cross.” “Later, during the Kashmir operations soon after Independence Major Rama Raghoba Rane was awarded the Param Vir Chakra,” the statement said. |
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Army holds ex-servicemen rally at Kalakote
Jammu, November 17 About 523 persons, including ex-servicemen, widows and their dependants, attended the rally, which was inaugurated by the Commander, Budhal Sector Rashtriya Rifles. Koushal Kumar Sharma, ASP, Nowshera, Major RS Thakur (retd), Zila Sainik Welfare Officer, Branch Manager of Jammu and Kashmir Bank and representatives of the Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme, Rajouri, also participated in the function. The Fisheries, Agriculture, Sericulture, Social Welfare and Revenue departments and nationalised banks had put up stalls to guide the ex-servicemen regarding various schemes aimed at their welfare. On the occasion, the Deputy Commissioner, Rajouri, and the Chairman of the Red Cross Society felicitated the war widows. The Army also distributed gifts among the ex-servicemen. A grievance cell to register the grievances and problems of the ex-servicemen and an information cell to provide multifarious information to them were also established at the venue of the rally. Also, the Zila Sainik Welfare Officer presented cheques for Rs 50,000 to gallantry award winners, Rs 5,000 each as assistance for the marriage of daughters of ex-servicemen and gave away Rs 2,500 each to select non-pensioners. A medical camp was also organised wherein the veterans were provided treatment and medicines by a team of doctors free of cost. The major demands of the ex-servicemen were the opening of a branch and an ATM of the State Bank of India and the establishment of a CBSE-affiliated school at
Kalakote. |
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Lt Gen Choudhary visits Bani
Jammu, November 17 During the visit, Lt Gen Choudhary interacted with students, their parents, schoolteachers and officials of the civil administration. Also, the Rising Star Corps is organising an educational tour to South India for school students of Bani and Machhedi in December. The tour aims at giving the children exposure to the rich and vibrant heritage of the nation. The itinerary of the tour includes a visit to the twin cities of Hyderabad-Secunderabad, Bangalore, Mysore and Chennai. Twenty-six students, including 13 girls, and two schoolteachers had been selected from Bani and Machhedi for it. |
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Singer Seema Sehgal to preform in Karachi
Seema, who hails from Jammu and is at present settled in Mumbai, has been invited to sing poems of Faiz during the three-day closing ceremony of the centennial celebrations under the aegis of the Progressive Writers’ Association, Pakistan, which had organised 100 events during 2011 all over the world to mark the 100th birth anniversary of the poet. The Karachi event is the last and 100th one and it is supported by the federal government of Pakistan and the provincial Sindh government. Seema will sing two live solo concerts in Karachi, one on the opening day of the closing ceremony on November 18 and again on November 20 to mark the formal ending of the celebrations. Both concerts will be presented by Seema’s husband, Squadron Leader Anil Sehgal. Seema earlier sang Faiz’s poems at the International Urdu Conference in New York this year. |
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No deaths due to rabies, says Medical Officer
Jammu, November 17 He added three patients, who were admitted to the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Jammu, had died. “The GMCH authorities have also not confirmed the deaths due to rabies,” said Dr Gupta. Two of the deceased belonged to Narlah village, while the third belonged to Dharkeyi village. |
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CM meets Governor
Jammu, November 17 The Chief Minister briefed the Governor about the security management issues and his meetings with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and other Central leaders during his recent visit to New Delhi. Meanwhile, Fayaz Ahmad
Bhat, Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Peace Foundation, called on the Governor today. Bhat briefed the Governor about various activities undertaken by the foundation for promoting peace and strengthening communal harmony in the state. He also spoke about the activities planned for the coming months, particularly the Peace Conference, which was proposed to be held in Jammu on January 28 next year.
— TNS |
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Petrol stations in Jammu witness heavy rush
Jammu, November 17 All petrol station in the city went dry today while the supply of several essential commodities had been affected due to the strike. Earlier, alleging harassment by the traffic police and demanding permission for plying throughout the day heavy vehicles on the road to oil depots and godowns of the FCI near the Jammu railway station, the truckers and the tanker owners had gone on an indefinite strike yesterday. |
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Rock carving of Buddha excavated in Suru Kartse valley
Leh, November 17 The Antiquities Department had initiated a process for the collection of ancient arts, which were of historical and archaeological importance, from different parts of Ladakh to keep them in the museum. This museum is the first of its kind government museum in Ladakh. Experts in Ladakh believed that the rock carving belonged to the eight century during which the Kartse Palace was built. It was for the second time recently that the Antiquities Department, Leh, had excavated an ancient rock carving in the Suru Kartse valley of Kargil district. Tashi said, “Earlier the department excavated a seven feet long rock carving of Lord Buddha, also belonging to the eighth century, in the valley. It is kept in the Regional Heritage Museum,
Leh.” |
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5-kg IED defused in Kupwara
Srinagar, November 17 The device was destroyed by a bomb
disposal squad in the nearby fields. The officials added the explosive was
planted apparently to target the security forces convoys, which passed through the area every morning.
— PTI |
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Top Hizbul militant killed in Shopian
Srinagar, November 17 Militants opened fire on security forces in the wee hours which was retaliated, triggering off a gun battle. Muneer Ahmad Kalas, a top self-styled commander of Hibzul Mujahideen, was killed in the operation,
the officials said, adding that the security forces were looking for another militant. The operation was going on till reports last came in.
— PTI |
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Harsh seeks special session of Assembly
Jammu, November 17 Addressing a press conference here this morning, Singh said there were several pending issues of vital public importance which were required to be discussed and debated in the Assembly. He said the previous session of the Assembly held in September had proved to be a mere constitutional formality as no formal business had been transacted during its course.
— TNS |
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Govt college, Parade, wins hockey tourney
Jammu, November 17 Dr Kiran Bakshi, principal of the college, congratulated the team and physical director Suman Lata for winning the trophy. |
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