|
|
|
|
|
Economic survery report
In 3 yrs, Centre gave Rs 8.8 crore to
Grant of ownership right to pvt cos |
|
|
PDP picks holes in execution
of Central road scheme
Leh residents being overcharged for power usage, says Cong MLC
Hero status for
Sheikh
Amarnath yatra can’t be advanced: Shrine Board
Governor stresses timely provision of logistics
MC gears up to tackle dog menace in Srinagar
Man held with 800-gm charas
Governor calls for revival of heritage routes
CM meets Governor
Over 3,000 houses without road connectivity in J&K
Govt discriminating against Poonch, Rajouri: BJP
Educational institutions reopen in Valley
Hindus in J-K denied minority benefits: BJP
|
|
Economic survery report
Jammu, March 1 The report prepared by the Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Jammu and Kashmir, stated that amidst the economic slowdown at the national level due to high inflationary conditions and the gloomy global economic scenario, the state had maintained growth. It said the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), that is the market value of the products, rose to 6.78 per cent in the current fiscal year as compared to 6.63 per cent during last year. Though the average annual growth for the Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-12) had a stiff target of 8 per cent, the state recorded a reasonable good 5.45 per cent keeping in mind adverse conditions like terrorism and harsh weather. The growth rate in agriculture and the allied sectors went slightly up — to 2:28 per cent from 2 per cent last year. The industrial sector’s growth rate touched 4:65 per cent against 4.46 per cent last year. However, the construction sector remained stagnant at 1 per cent growth rate. The service sector showed a steady growth rate of 9 per cent, while banking and insurance were estimated to grow by 11.58 per cent and 15.26 per cent, respectively, by the end of the current fiscal year. Though there was an increased flow of tourists, the transport, communications and the hotel industry seemed to have been caught napping as the survey report recorded a steep decline in this sector from 8 per cent growth rate last year to 6 per cent during the current fiscal year. The production of food grain was not up to the mark, too. The yield of principal crops like rice, maize and wheat has not shown a significant increase. The survey report mentioned that the scope for increasing the net area sown was very limited due to the Indus Water Treaty, and the farm size was shrinking due to continuous breakdown of joint families, growing urbanisation and population explosion. The report highlighted the bleak scenario with regard to seed management, which was vital for better productivity. The national average for seed replacement was above 25 per cent whereas in the state it was less than 15 per cent. |
||
|
In 3 yrs, Centre gave Rs 8.8 crore to madrasas
Jammu, March 1 The state government, in a written reply to a question raised by the CPM legislator from Kulgam, Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, seeking year-wise details of funds received for implementation of the Centrally-sponsored Scheme Providing Quality Education (SPQE) in madrasas from 2009 to 2012, said that the Centre funded 362 madrasas. “The funds received from the Government of India for implementation of the scheme for providing quality education in madrasas from 2009 to 2012 is Rs 886.47 lakh,” the school education department said. Asked about the criteria adopted for selection of the institutions, the department said: “These madrasas have to apply to the state government in the prescribed format for receiving grant-in-aid. The proposals submitted by the CEOs are submitted to the state grant-in-aid committee through the respective directors of school education.” It further said that all those madrasas were being provided with grant-in-aid which fulfilled the requisite norms set by the Central government under the scheme. Giving details of the institutions that applied for financial assistance, the school education department said around 362 proposals were received through directorates of school education. “An amount of Rs 347.87 lakh and Rs 382.59 lakh was released to both directorates after re-verification of the madrasas,” it maintained. An official document revealed that Kashmir’s Baramulla district topped the list of madrasas with 71 such schools being funded by the Union Government, while Bandipora district has only one such madrasa. Five districts of the state didn’t have any madrasa which was being funded by the
Centre. |
||
|
Grant of ownership right to pvt cos
Jammu, March 1 Due to special status being granted to the state, those who do not possess the permanent resident certificate (PRC) are not entitled to getting the ownership right of immovable property. The Minister of Revenue, Raman Bhalla, who introduced the Bill, told The Tribune that amendment to the existing Act had been necessitated to accelerate development activities in the state. He said amendment had been sought to transfer land to Jammu and Kashmir Chenab Valley Power Projects Private Limited (JVP), a company engaged in the construction of three hydroelectric projects — Pakaldul, Kiro and Kawar — in the Chenab basin. The JVC is a joint venture among NHPC Limited, Jammu, Kashmir State Power Development Corporation and PTC (India) Limited for the execution of these projects. “The JVC has finally been registered and has started functioning but it has been felt that the land has not been formally transferred to it for which a necessary provision is required to be incorporated in Section 140 of the Transfer of Property Act by way of amendment for carving out an exception in favour of the company.” “Pakaldul, Kiru and Kawar projects with an aggregate capacity of 2020 MW on the Chenab basin are under implementation of the joint venture which is developing these projects on the build, own, operate and maintain (BOOM) basis,” he said. “Without prejudice to the J&K land laws, the JVC shall have exclusive rights over the projects,” he said while quoting a memorandum of understanding, which says: “The leasehold rights of the land required for the projects, against payment of land revenue as fixed by the state government, shall be granted initially for a period of 40 years, in accordance with the state laws. On the expiration of the period, the lease shall be renewed for a further term not exceeding 40 years, a time subject to a maximum period of 90 years,” he stated. |
||
|
PDP picks holes in execution
of Central road scheme
Jammu, March 1 Responding to acerbic queries by the PDP MLC, Syed Asgar Ali, during Question Hour in the Upper House here today, the Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Ali Mohammad Sagar, on behalf of the R&B Minister, said 14 major firms found not fulfilling the requisite conditions had been debarred from further tendering in the scheme in Jammu province till their ongoing commitments in the project were over. He said the engineers concerned were also directed to impose damages on the defaulting firms as per the terms of the contract. Referring to Kishtwar district, Sagar said since the inception of the scheme in the district, there had been impediments in its implementation due to land disputes, disputes in alignment, land acquisition and forest clearance. However, he assured the House that the department was pursuing with the executing agencies to complete the work at the earliest for the completion of these projects. The agencies concerned were also being pursued to remove bottlenecks of land, forest and court orders. On another query pertaining to the livestock population of the state, the Minister of State for Animal Husbandry, Ajaz Ahmed Khan, informed the House that the figure had reached 109.86 lakh. “Total livestock population of J&K is 109.86 lakh, out of which, 71.78 lakh is in Jammu, 31.63 lakh in Kashmir and 6.45 lakh in Ladakh,” Khan said. Regarding artificial insemination and animal healthcare facilities, the minister said the department was providing healthcare and breeding facilities to the livestock across the state through a chain of veterinary dispensaries, block-level hospitals, artificial insemination centres and mobile dispensaries. He said the state had achieved 48.70 per cent genetic upgrade in cattle, but the artificial insemination coverage was comparatively inadequate in backward, hilly and remote areas of the state. The minister said high pedigree cross-bred bulls were introduced at the community level for genetic improvement in the backward and remote areas of the state where artificial insemination facilities were not possible.
Leh residents being overcharged for power usage, says Cong MLC
Jammu, March 1 “We are getting power supply for about three or four hours a day on an average but the tariff is imposed for 24 hours. This is sheer injustice with our region,” said the MLC from the Congress, Narboo Gialchan, while asking a supplementary query in the Upper House today. He asked the minister concerned to disclose the reason for not going by the rules laid down by the State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC). The Minister, Shabir Ahmad Khan, replied that generator sets in the Ladakh region operated in the isolated mode due to the unavailability of grid connectivity. “Power is supplied through diesel generator sets with a total capacity of around 16 MW and from hydroelectricity generating stations. Due to the isolated mode and high cost of diesel, the per unit generating cost of electricity in the region is very high,” he added. Expressing dissatisfaction with the government’s reply, Narboo said, “The minister has provided a very manipulative reply and has not responded to my specific query. I wish to underline the fact that despite the directions of the SERC to follow the guidelines given in the clauses 11.19 and 11.20 of the retail tariff order for 2009-10 and 2010-11, the department is charging fee for 24 hours while the customers are receiving electricity only for four or five hours.” The minster replied, “The consumers who have been receiving power for lesser duration were being charged as per the lowest slabs available in the tariff order.” He said to redress the issue, the department had also started the metering process in the region. “With the completion of the metering process, the consumer will pay only for the actual units consumed rather than on a flat rate basis,” he disclosed. However, Narboo expressed dissatisfaction with the replies, saying, “ I am asking that does the government intend to implement the SERC tariff rules or not.” The Chairman, Legislative Council, Amrit Malhotra, also intervened and directed the minister to make a specific reply. The minister then assured that he would issue the requisite directions.
|
||
|
Hero status for
Sheikh
Jammu, March 1 The NC MLC, Bashir Ahmad Shah Veeri, moved the resolution but later withdrew it on the Congress assurance that the government would formally recommend the proposal to the Centre. “This House resolves that keeping in view Sher-I-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s contribution in bringing revolutionary socio-economic reforms in the state, he shall be declared a national hero and his vision and philosophy be incorporated in the syllabus and text books of the State Board of School Education,” the resolution read. —
TNS |
||
|
Amarnath yatra can’t be advanced: Shrine Board
Jammu, March 1 The annual pilgrimage to the shrine is scheduled to commence on June 25 and culminate on August 2. In response to certain media reports regarding the duration of the yatra, Goyal said the variation in the duration of yatra from year to year was on account of the falling of Raksha Bandhan on different dates. As per the tradition, the yatra concludes on the day of the festival. “In 2010, the yatra went on for 56 days as Raksha Bandhan fell on August 24. In 2011, the duration was reduced by 10 days to 46, as the festival fell on August 13. This year, the festival falls on August 2 and the yatra duration has been further reduced to 39 days.” The CEO said the board was obligated to take into account all relevant considerations while deciding the yatra dates every year, as the safety and security of the pilgrims was of paramount importance to the board. The CEO added that keeping in view the sentiments of the devotees, the board had this year decided to explore the possibility of holding the yatra before June 25, based on a professional assessment of the pace of snowmelt, which will be undertaken in the first week of June. He said in 2013, Raksha Bandhan would fall on August 21 and consequently, the yatra would be 19 days longer than this year if the commencement dates for both years remain the same. The CEO said it was not logical to attribute the variations in the duration of the yatra across different years to the decision -making process of the board. He recalled that the board had set up a sub-committee, chaired by eminent spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to advise the board regarding the duration and schedule of the yatra. He stressed that the sub-committee was set up consequent to an agreement with the Baba Yatri Niyas in June, 2011. The sub-committee comprised eminent figures like Swami Avdheshanandji of Haridwar; Swami Gyaanandji of Vrindavan; YV Sharma, president, Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Jammu; RL Bharti, former member, J&K Public Service Commission; Prem Gupta, former IGP, Jammu; and Dr CM Raina, Assistant Professor, Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, Jammu. He said the sub-committee, while evolving its recommendations, had held extensive consultations with various interested parties, including the Baba Yatri Niyas. The CEO said the shrine board, set up through a legislative enactment, comprised eminent figures from varied fields and worked within the provisions of the J&K Shri Amarnathji Shrine Act, 2000 and was not subject to any influence. |
||
|
Governor stresses timely provision of logistics
Jammu, March 1 Kuldeep Khoda, DGP; BB Vyas, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister; RK Goyal, CEO, Shri Amarnath Shrine Board; Navin Kumar Choudhary, Principal Secretary to Governor; and Garib Dass, DIG (PHQ), participated in
the meeting. The meeting reviewed the implementation status of the recommendations made by a high-level committee, set up in October, 2011, that had furnished its report in January, 2012. The committee comprising the Principal Secretary (Home), DGP, Principal Secretary (Planning), Principal Secretary (Finance) and the CEO of the Shrine Board, was set up to evolve recommendations for the upgrade and enlargement of the infrastructure facilities for the annual yatra. The committee was set up consequent to the discussions held in October, 2011 at a meeting convened by the Governor. The Governor stressed the need for ensuring time-bound action on all fronts to ensure safe and smooth conduct of the yatra
this year. |
||
|
MC gears up to tackle dog menace in Srinagar
Srinagar, March 1 Talking to The Tribune, he said three blocks having a capacity of 10 dogs each would be made functional by March 15 at the Shuhama dog pound here and the sterilisation programme would commence from April 1. Stating that he was hopeful that the menace would be tackled to a large extent in the next few months, Qasba said the SMC was also training its men to capture dogs from various city points. He said the SMC had also passed orders to ban roadside slaughtering as that attracted dogs. “Once roadside slaughtering of poultry stops, the dogs will automatically keep away. We will ensure that the practice stops… orders have been passed to fine the offenders and also seize the poultry,” Qasba said. The stray dog menace has been haunting the locals here for long. While cases of dog bites are common, people in many parts of the city fear venturing outside their homes in the early morning or evening hours due to the large population of stray canines. Last month, a civil society group even took to the streets in protest against stray dogs while flaying the authorities for failing to do much in the matter. |
||
|
Man held with 800-gm charas
Katra, March 1 A case has been registered against the accused in this regard. In another case, two persons were arrested for bootlegging here. Following a tip-off, a police team headed by SHO Pardeep Gupta set up a checkpoint at Kundorian and intercepted two persons. The police recovered 55 pouches of liquor. The accused, identified as Ravi Kumar and Sonu, were arrested and booked under Section 48, Excise Act, and Section 188, RPC. The liquor belonging to the J&K Excise was intended to be sold here at higher cost. |
||
|
Governor calls for revival of heritage routes
Jammu, March 1 The Governor was speaking after inaugurating a three-day international conference on “Global Cultural Routes: Tourism and Socio-Economic Viability” organised by the Centre for Studies in Museology, University of Jammu, here. He said the routes broadened mutual understanding among nations as these were vital for ensuring future peace. The Governor said Jammu and Kashmir had remained associated with many cultural routes, the Silk Route being prominent among these. Many religious conferences and intellectual discourses had taken place in Kashmir and renowned scholars, travellers and intellectuals had travelled all the way from China and other far-off places to participate in these, he said while dwelling on the history of cultural routes and the travellers who visited the J&K centuries ago. He added that the entire spectrum of communication had undergone a tremendous change with the advent of modern technologies. Great travellers like Hiuen Tsang travelled all the way to J&K and had a long stay in Kashmir despite the constraints faced by people of those times when travelling was undertaken on foot, horseback or carts. He said while the historical routes had enriched cultures and brought people of different languages together, the emergence of drug, weapon and terrorism routes in the recent past has created a fear among the people of various countries across the globe. He lauded the University of Jammu for hosting the conference and hoped that it would help identify some practical approaches towards strengthening mutual understanding through the revival of pluralistic and secular traditions. The Governor later released a souvenir brought out for the occasion. Prof Victor, president, International Scientific Committee on Cultural Routes, observed that the conference would help exchange experiences and ideas about cultural routes. Dr Sandy Blair, member, International Scientific Committee on Cultural Routes, dwelled on the initiatives taken to study and revive cultural routes worldwide. Nasir Aslam Wani, Minister of State for Tourism and Home, and Prof MPS Ishar, Vice-Chancellor, University of Jammu, also spoke. The Governor also laid the foundation stone of the administrative/academic block for the Directorate of Sports and Physical Education in the university. The block is being constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 3 crore. |
||
|
Jammu, March 1 The two also discussed issues relating to the early establishment of Panchayati Raj institutions and the scheduled elections to panchayat samitis and urban local bodies. Issues relating to the eradication of corruption and functioning of the government were also discussed. — TNS
|
||
|
Over 3,000 houses without road connectivity in J&K
Jammu, March 1 The Minister in charge of the Public Works (Roads and Buildings) Department, in a written reply to MLC Vijay Bakaya’s query, stated, “As per the core network of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) programme, 4,163 unconnected habitations had been identified in the state on April 1, 2001. Of these, 1,579 habitations having a population of more than 250 and 1,425 habitations with a population less than 250 are without connectivity.” On the number of habitations proposed or connected as per the PMGSY norms, the minister said, “The number of habitations eligible under the PMGSY is 2,738 while 1,425 habitations fall in the category of less than 250 persons. Of the eligible, 1,159 habitations have been connected till date and 50 more are to be completed by March this year.” Replying to the amount spent, the minister stated, “A total number of 1,346 schemes under the PMGSY have been sanctioned from phase I to VII at an estimated cost of Rs 3580.44 crore. An amount of Rs 1446.77 crore has been received by end of January 2012 on these schemes.” He added that 1,529 uncovered habitations were likely to be completed by the end of the 12th Five Year Plan i.e. by the end of March 2017. |
||
|
Govt discriminating against Poonch, Rajouri: BJP
Jammu, March 1 Addressing a public meeting recently in the Thandi Kassi area of Rajouri, BJP state secretary Vibodh Gupta said the state government was discriminating against the Jammu region and all the funds were being utilised in the Valley. He said the recent expansion of the Urban Local Bodies with 75 per cent share given to the Valley was an example of discrimination. Gupta said there was a scope for expansion in the Urban Local Bodies in Rajouri and Poonch and there were no bodies in Kotranka, Budhal, Darhal and Mandi areas, adding that there was a need to upgrade the Rajouri Municipal Committee to a Council. Highlighting the importance of the pilgrimage tourism, Gupta said the government was working on the pilgrimage tourism in Kashmir and there was no thrust in the field in Rajouri and Poonch. He added that there were three shrines of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs in Mandi, Shadara Sharief and Poonch, respectively, which were being revered by all the religions, but the government has not taken any step to develop these shrines. |
||
|
Educational institutions reopen in Valley
While all educational institutions were scheduled to reopen today, the government had last week decided to extend the winter vacation in primary and middle schools. These schools will now reopen on March 12. The decision had been taken in view of the bad weather conditions, with several areas in the upper reaches of the Valley still under a thick blanket of snow. The decision to extend the winter vacation for those studying in classes up to eighth standard has been welcomed by residents. Hustle and bustle was back outside educational institutions today, as students met their friends after a long break. The Valley has witnessed one of the harshest winters in the recent times, with the mercury remaining several degrees below zero for days together, disrupting the supply of water and electricity. All educational institutions had closed on account of winter vacation in December last year. The admission process for class XII in higher secondary schools and undergraduate courses in degree colleges is currently under way. The results of matriculation and class-XII examinations, held between October and November last year, were declared by the State Board of School Education recently. The admission process for degree colleges is also under way in the Valley. The University of Kashmir and other universities in the Valley are gearing up for admissions to post-graduate courses, as the results of degree classes have also been declared recently.
|
||
|
Hindus in J-K denied minority benefits: BJP
Jammu, March 1 As BJP member in the Legislative Assembly Ashok Khajuria raised the question about the criteria being adopted for the disbursement of scholarship to students under the post-matric category, Minister for Social Welfare Sakina Ittoo replied that Hindus of Jammu and Kashmir did not fall under the minority community criteria because the scheme was open to the national minorities, which included Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists and Parsis. “The students who have secured 50 per cent marks and above and belong to national minorities are eligible for such schemes provided the annual income of their family is not more than Rs 2 lakh per annum,” she said. The BJP member responded by saying that Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir were in minority so they were entitled to benefits of all schemes which were meant for minorities. “There is no logic of denying benefits of such schemes to the Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said and demanded that the minority formula of Punjab should be implemented in Jammu and Kashmir and Hindus should be given minority status and all benefits of such schemes should be extended to them. The minister, however, replied that such schemes were fully funded by the Central government so the norms fixed by the Union Government were adopted by such schemes in Jammu and Kashmir. Khajuria said the majority community in Jammu and Kashmir was taking benefit of the minorities also so there was a need to change such norms in this state. Panthers Party member Harsh Dev Singh sought to draw the attention of the minister towards denial of scholarship to the students belonging to Gaddi communities despite the fact that the community had been enlisted as Scheduled Tribe (ST). Singh also sought a reply from the minister regarding the delay in granting ST status to the Koli community. The minister assured that she would find out why scholarships were being denied to Gaddi students and would look into the matter of Koli community.
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
Jammu, March 1
Srinagar, March 1
Katra, March 1
The over 650-page report calls for better tax collection, more power generation, less power distribution losses, more tourism circuits, private investment and better seed quality. It stated that the international water treaties had restricted the use of natural resources, which were in abundance in the state.
Srinagar, March 1