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Subsidy on drip irrigation system raised to 90 pc
Govt promoting interests of middlemen, alleges PDP
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Expelled BJP MLAs rally behind Gupta
Thathri health centre cries for staff
15 injured in Doda mishap
Omar visits RTO for licence renewal
Sanskriti Award for Kashmiri poetess
Seminar on Madan Sharma’s works begins
DoP to hold Fun Run today
Scope for AFSPA revocation: Omar
Extension lecture on Punjabi held
Restoration of bus service sought
Blood donation camp held
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Subsidy on drip irrigation system raised to 90 pc
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah made this announcement at the “Horti Expo 2011” at the Kala Kendra here today. The total subsidy is now 90 per cent and the farmers will have to pay only 10 per cent. “The Centre will continue providing 50 per cent subsidy, while the state has increased its share of the subsidy from 10 per cent to 40 per cent. It will help the farmers to install the drip irrigation system in their fields and save water,” said Omar. Stressing upon the farmers to adopt this water saving technique, Omar said, “Farmers in our neighbouring states are already using this technique. Even some progressive farmers in the Kashmir valley have been using the drip irrigation system. My father has also installed it in his fields. The time has come for our farmers in the Jammu region to use this technique.” He added, “Having to pay just 10 per cent is very nominal and almost every farmer can use this system to irrigate his fields (big or small). It is beneficial to all kinds of farmers.” Meanwhile, Minister for Horticulture Sham Lal Sharma said, “Our state has a huge potential of dry fruit production and we are hopeful of getting 40 lakh metric tonnes of production by 2014, which was just 13 lakh metric tonnes during 2008-09.” About paddy procurement, Sharma said the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and the Union government were not providing the state the kind of support it actually required. He said the government had planned to open fruit and vegetable markets in every district by next year. Besides, a cold storage would also be opened in every district, he added. Those prominent among present at the Horti Expo organised by the Department of Horticulture, Jammu, were Director, Horticulture, JL Sharma and Vice-Chairman of the Kissan Advisory Board Rashpal Singh. A few stalls were also put up to spread awareness about the new techniques among the farmers. However, some stall managers alleged that the show, which was scheduled from November 18 to 20, started a day later. The department did not charge any fee from the stall owners. |
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Govt jobs no solution to unemployment: Omar
Jammu, November 19 While addressing a public gathering at the Kala Kendra here, where a large number of horticulturists had come to attend the “Horti Expo 2011”, Omar said, “One should try to work in that field where he/she has some specialisation. Government jobs are not the solution to unemployment.” “In our state, we have four main fields -- agriculture, horticulture, handicraft and tourism. If one tries his or her best in these fields, it may help reduce unemployment,” said Omar. He added, “That’s why I came here to attend the function.” Meanwhile, Minister for Health and Horticulture Sham Lal Sharma said it was not possible for the government to give jobs to all literate persons. “Only when we generate new avenues in agriculture that more jobs will be generated,” he said. As per the new recruitment policy announced by the state government, all fresh recruits (non-gazetted) would get only 50 per cent of the basic pay for the first two years and 75 per cent for the next three years, without any allowances. Students across the Jammu region had been protesting against this controversial policy. The High Court had stayed its implementation till November 25. |
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Govt promoting interests of middlemen, alleges PDP
Jammu, November 19 Addressing a public meeting at Billawar town, PDP general secretary said casual approach in setting up procurement centres for purchasing paddy in Kathua district speaks about nexus between officials and the middlemen. He alleged that authorities were deliberately adopting delaying tactics in setting up procurement centres to force the poor farmers to sell the produce at less price. He said this regime was furthering only interests of touts and power brokers. He pointed that this regime was formed without any programme and policy and instead of solving basic problems of the common masses both leaders of the Congress and the National Conference have been befooling the people by making false promises. Pointing towards problems of farmers, PDP general secretary Balbir Singh said the state government had adopted anti-farmers policies and it was not interested in solving their problems. He added during the past three years the NC-led regime had not taken any step to mitigate the sufferings of the common masses. “What to say of solving the problems of the people, this government has further compounded their woes due to its wrong policies,” he said. Speaking about the shortage of ration in government depots, he regretted that due to rampant corruption the ration meant for the poor was being sold in the open market. Balbir termed the coalition government as one of the most corrupt and anti-people governments ever in the state. He said the government was repeating blunders which were committed during the previous NC regime between 1996 and 2002. |
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ANC demands release of political detainees, holds protests
Srinagar, November 19 The protest march led by vice-president of the ANC Muzaffar Shah started from the residence of party president Begum Khalida Shah and culminated at the party headquarters here. Addressing the party workers, Shah said in order to fight corruption, a cleansing operation had to be undertaken. The people in public life should come clean on their assets and income as the first step in this direction. Later talking to mediapersons, Shah urged all political figures to declare their assets and income. Misleading the common man by a mere lip service would not be tolerated any more, he added. He said the party would hold similar marches at all district headquarters of the state. On the revocation of various laws granting special powers to the security forces, Shah said the coalition government in the state and the Opposition could easily work out a method for revoking the Disturbed Areas Act from the state. He said the Chief Minister had the authority to revoke the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and was not required to meet the Army Chief. |
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Expelled BJP MLAs rally behind Gupta
Jammu, November 19 Gupta was expelled from the party six months ago, while Durga Dass, Master Lal Chand, Jagdish Raj Sapolia, Baldev Sharma, Bharat Bhushan and Prof Gharu Ram Bhagat expelled from the party yesterday. Though Jugal Kishore Sharma, who had been appointed the Leader of BJP Legislature Party,
also disqualified the six MLAs from the membership of the House and forwarded the decision to the Speaker of the Assembly, Mohammad Akbar Lone, the latter, however, said he would give his ruling on the matter after proper examining it. “As of now, of the total 11 BJP MLAs only four are with the official group headed by Jugal Kishore, while the six expelled MLAs are with Chaman Lal Gupta,” Lone told
The Tribune. He said the six expelled MLAs had already given him in writing that Gupta was their leader in the Legislative Assembly and hence the party had virtually split into two groups in the House. The Speaker admitted that the BJP had written to him regarding the appointment of Jugal Kishore in place of Gupta as the Leader of BJP Legislature Party but the majority of the MLAs were still supporting Gupta. When the attention of the Speaker was drawn towards the claim of
president of the state BJP Shamsher Singh Manhas that Jugal Kishore was empowered to disqualify any MLA from the membership of the party, Lone said the charges
levelled against the expelled MLAs were yet to be proved because the Legislative Council elections were held through secret ballot and hence it was not easy to prove which MLA violated the whip of the party. Meanwhile, Manhas, while quoting the Anti-Defection Law of the state, claimed that Jugal Kishore’s decision to disqualify the six MLAs was binding on the Speaker. “The decision taken by our Legislature Party Leader is final and there is no scope for its further examination,” Manhas, who is in Nagpur to attend an executive committee meeting of the party, told The Tribune over the phone. According to the Anti-Defection Law of the state, the Leader of Legislature Party in the Assembly could also disqualify a party MLA provided the charges against the member were proved. The expelled legislators, on the other hand, contested the claim of the party
on the status of the Leader of BJP Legislature Party. “I enjoy the support of
the majority of the party MLAs and hence I am still the Leader of Legislature Party,” Gupta told The Tribune. |
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Thathri health centre cries for staff
Thathri (Doda), November 19 The only specialist doctor in the centre proceeded on leave the day he joined there on August 18, 2010. Sources said he was doing private practice at Udhampur. There is no orthopaedician here. The operating theatre though equipped was non-functional in the absence of an anaesthetist. The post of a surgeon, too, had been lying vacant and the assistant surgeon posted here was on study leave. But he, too, could do little without a proper operating theatre, said the residents. Led by the sarpanch of Jangalwar village, Mohammad Ashraf, the angry area residents gheraoed the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Doda, Dr Mohammad Iqbal Zargar, on November 16 and blocked the road in protest against the shortage of staff. “We are fed up with assurances that adequate staff would be provided and hence we have held a demonstration. The authorities concerned seem to be testing our patience,” said Ashraf. As of now, the Block Medical Officer (BMO), Dr Sat Lal, who is also the administrator of the CHC, alone attends to the patients. “I am working round the clock as on an average a couple of emergency cases, including accidental, are brought here daily. In the absence of specialist doctors and due to the non-functional operating theatre, we have to refer all critical patients to the district hospital, Doda,” he said. The CMO said the matter had been brought to the notice of the Directorate of Health Services, Jammu, and orders had been issued for posting an orthopaedician at the CHC, Thathri. Interestingly, the authorities concerned are still looking for an anaesthetist who can stay at Thathri. Regarding the specialist doctor who had proceeded on leave, the CMO said, “We have already issued him two notices and will issue the third mandatory notice before initiating any action against him. According to the rules, a notice can be issued after three months,” he said. |
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15 injured in Doda mishap
Thathri (Doda), November 19 Officials said the accident took place when the bus on its way from Doda to Jammu collided with an oil tanker. At least 15 persons were injured, of which eight with minor injuries were brought to the Primary Health Centre (PHC), Assar, while seven others were taken to the District Hospital, Doda. The condition of five of them is stated to be stable. According to the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Doda, GM Balwan, the two critically injured, identified as Ghulam Nabi (25), a resident of Marmat, and Sanjay Kumar, a resident of Udyanpur, were referred to the Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu, on the advice of doctors at the District Hospital, Doda. Both were airlifted in an Army helicopter requisitioned by the district administration.
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Omar visits RTO for licence renewal
Jammu, November 19 To the surprise of the general public, the Chief Minister, along with Transport Minister Qamar Ali Akhoon, reached the RTO in the morning to personally appear for the renewal of the licence, as required under the rules. Explaining the need later, he tweeted,”I went to the RTO office in Jammu to get my driving licence. I had a paper booklet and so decided it was time to get a plastic one.” A government spokesman said the Chief Minister underwent all normal procedures and requirements and got his driving licence renewed like a commoner. The objective of the visit was to have a first-hand account about the implementation process of the Public Service Guarantee Act (PSGA) under which the functioning of the RTO, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, Revenue, Power and Public Health and Engineering departments fall. Omar also interacted with the people, who had come there for various purposes. The Chief Minister enquired about the quality of service being provided to them and advised them to take the advantage of the PSGA to get the service delivery in time at various departments identified under the Act. The Act provides for a fine up to Rs 5,000 to the erring officials for failing to deliver the services within the stipulated time frame. Reacting to Omar’s tweet, some appreciated his act saying it was an example for others to emulate. There were others who saw a funny side to it and tweeted “Even very normal persons don’t go these days.” There were tweets suggesting “how tough it was driving on congested roads”. One tweet joked ,”Sir G gaddi kahan chall-aa-oge, Katra Bus stand mein.” (Where would you drive your vehicle... at Katra Bus Stand, which is one of the most congested places in the region). |
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Sanskriti Award for Kashmiri poetess
New Delhi, November 19 Thirty-five-year-old Shabnum, a Kashmiri
poetess, is among the five young achievers who were awarded the 2011 Sanskriti Awards for their contributions to the world of literature, journalism, art, music and social achievement. Presenting the prestigious awards to them at a glittering ceremony last evening, Kalam appreciated their efforts to bring about a change in society through their works. Journalist Rana Ayyub, Bangalore-based Abhishek Hazra, musician Murad Ali and social activist Vinayak Lohani are the other awardees.
— PTI
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Seminar on Madan Sharma’s works begins
Jammu, November 19 ND Jamwal, a distinguished poet and writer, gave a detailed view about the life and works of Madan Mohan Sharma while presenting a paper on the occasion. “Madan Mohan was a literary genius who wrote many masterpieces during his lifetime in the form of radio plays, short stories and dramas,” he said. The convener of the Dogri Advisory Board, Sahitya Akademi, Prof Veena Gupta, described Madan Mohan
as an inspiring writer, intellectual and essayist. “His works depict his deep understanding of existential realities of contemporary society,” she added. Deputy Secretary of the Sahitya Akademi Geetanjli Chaterjee presented a vote
of thanks.
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School holds fancy dress competition
Jammu, November 19 School manager Capt Dewan Singh was the chief guest of the function while Anita Khajuria and Ruby Chauhan were the jurists. The topic of the competition was “Bollywood stars” and there were around 200 tiny tots from Class I and II who were dressed like Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Katrina Kaif. Parth, Aashita Khajuria, Prakriti Sharma and Akarshan Verma bagged the first prize, while Nandini, Sashwat Jamwal, Anuj Sharma and Jaanvi Sharma got the second prize. |
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DoP to hold Fun Run today
Jammu, November 19 The “Fun Run” will start from the University of Jammu campus and conclude at the Balidan Stambh at Narwal. According to officials of the department, school students of all classes can participate in the run. The participants will be presented Philately Fun Run T-shirts and participation certificates by the department. The department will also organise a four-day “Jammu Stamp Show-2011” in Jammu at the Kala Kendra from
November 23.
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Scope for AFSPA revocation: Omar
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function here today, the Chief Minister said, “I believe there is ample scope for us to go ahead with what we have decided to do (revoking the AFSPA), while at the same time addressing the concerns of the Army.” He, however, did not talk much about the issue and said he did not want to indulge in a media debate on the issue. “I don’t want to get into a debate through the media on the AFSPA. I have already told the media on two occasions when I met the Union Home Minister and the Union Finance Minister about it,” he said. The Chief Minister, along with his father and Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah, is demanding the revocation of the AFSPA from some parts of the state. The Army is opposing the move saying it will severely affect its ability to fight militants. |
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Extension lecture on Punjabi held
Jammu, November 19 Dr Updesh Kour, Head of Punjabi Department, University of Jammu, delivered the lecture. She divulged on the utility of tones and symbols in the development of the Punjabi language. Dr Kiran Bakshi, principal of the college, was the chief guest on the occasion. She apprised the students of the importance of understanding the scientific basis of the languages so as to understand the true emotions hidden in the works of a writer. Dr Snober, Head of Punjabi Department, GCW, Parade, welcomed the dignitaries present.
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Restoration of bus service sought
Jammu, November 19 “The minibus service from KC Crossing to Laxmipuram/Chinore-Bantalab was sanctioned after a month trial by the then Senior Superintendent of Police, Traffic, SA Watali,” said SN Saproo, president of the front. Three minibuses were also sanctioned for the Bantalab route, he added. Saproo appealed to the authorities concerned to restore the transport service on the route immediately so that the people of the area did not face
hardships.
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Blood donation camp held
Jammu, November 19 Brig Vipan Gupta, Brigadier administration, White Knight Corps, along with Brig AS Bansal, Brigadier medical, White Knight Corps, inaugurated the camp. They were taken around the camp after a briefing by Brig SPS Kochhar, Commandant of the Military Hospital. Civilian dignitaries and senior officials ofthe IIIM also visited the camp. A huge number of enthusiastic youths, students, NCC cadets, Army personnel donated blood.
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Jammu, November 19
Jammu, November 19