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State to seek Rs
62,000 cr under 12th Plan
INTERVIEW
State exploiting only 10% of its power potential
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‘Three lives could have been saved had
ex-Army officer been extradited to India’
Fresh snowfall on Amarnath yatra routes
Pandit youth tonsure heads in protest
100 more panchayat members from south Kashmir resign
I know how to topple inefficient
govts: Mufti
Vohra mourns deaths in road mishap
Set up tribal varsity in Pir Panchal belt,
Gujjars urge PM
Providing education to less privileged vital challenge, says Governor
Omar feels the heat on Twitter
Omar’s Cabinet meet in Kupwara cosmetic: Lone
Hizb militant surrenders in Rajouri
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State to seek Rs
62,000 cr under 12th Plan
Jammu, June 10 During the 12th Plan (2012-2017), the state has kept health, roads, agriculture and power as priority areas. Under the 11th Five Year Plan, the state had been allocated Rs 25,000 crore. The state government had urged the Commission to discuss requirements of resources and the funding pattern for the 12th Five Year Plan about seven months back so that officials of the Planning and Finance Departments were better placed to prepare a document about the needs of the state. Later, after submitting the initial document, all the departments were asked by the Commission to submit details about projections for the next plan. Economic Adviser to J&K Jalil Ahmed Khan said, “It was a huge exercise and it took officials four months to prepare the document and needs of the state for the next five years.” The high-level delegation led by Chief Secretary Madhav Lal, which will meet in New Delhi on June 12, will bid for getting additional funds for the health and power sectors, construction of hydel power projects, which include the Baghilar stage-II, agriculture, horticulture and tourism. The state will ask for Rs 195 crore in the PMRP for improving the transmission and distribution losses. It will also ask for Rs 105 crore for further construction and development of the Mughal road to link Rajouri and Poonch with the Kashmir valley. “All administrative secretaries and department heads in the Planning and Finance Department would be seeking the highest ever plan of Rs 7,300 crore for 2012-13. During the final Working Group meeting in New Delhi, they will also ask for Rs 700 crore under the PMRP,” said an official of the Planning |
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INTERVIEW
It is the result of the prevailing peace that the private sector is coming forward to invest in Jammu and Kashmir. Although the Centre is yet to take a decision on extending the package of incentives for another 10 years, the state government is hopeful of an investment worth Rs 30,000 crore in the current financial year in the state. It is the result of the good response from the private sector that the government has acquired land in new areas to develop industrial growth centres. Minister for Industries and Commerce Surjeet Singh Slathia in an interview to Dinesh Manhotra expects record investment in the state this year.
The Union Government is yet to take a decision on extending the package of incentives for a further period. What steps has the state government taken to get the extension of the package? The process is going on. I personally met Union Commerce Minister a number of times in this regard. He has assured me that incentives would be further extended to the state. It is the result of our efforts that a team from the Union Ministry has recently visited Jammu and Kashmir and submitted its recommendations to the Centre. I hope that the decision regarding the extension of the package would be taken within a month. The Union Government had announced a package of incentives in June 2002, which remained valid for 10 years till 2012. Besides the Centre’s package, what is the state government offering to attract the private sector? We are giving 100 per cent subsidy on purchase of new diesel generating sets upto a maximum of 25 lakh per unit, 100 per cent subsidy on project report and quality testing equipment upto a maximum of Rs 25 lakh per unit, 30 per cent subsidy on pollution control equipment upto a maximum of Rs 20 lakh per unit and 5 per cent rebate on interest on term loan for technocrats. We are also giving a special incentive for brand promotion and modernisation, providing land and power at concessional rates and toll tax exemption on import of raw material and export of finished products. There are complaints that the private sector is not following the norms of giving priority to locals in employment. What steps has your department taken to ensure maximum employment for locals? While giving incentives to investors, it is our first condition that locals should be given priority in employment. We are encouraging the private sector in the state for generating employment for local youth. The record available with us says in the Jammu region 22,373 locals are engaged in the private sector while 25,630 are engaged in the Kashmir valley. As far as outsiders are concerned, 6,878 are employed in Jammu and 8,320 in Kashmir. We have opened more training centres to help local youth become skilled labourers. What initiates have been taken by your department to encourage handcrafts and handloom in the state? As far as handcrafts are concerned, a record production has been achieved in 2011-12. During the current financial year, 11,000 trainees are being trained in centres of the Handicrafts Department. During 2011-12, handicrafts goods worth Rs 441.24 crore were exported. We are expecting to achieve a target of 1,100 crore by the end of the current financial year. The stipend of trainees has been enhanced from Rs 100 to Rs 500 in elementary training course and from Rs 200 to Rs 700 in advance training course. What about the development of local handloom? Various steps have been taken to revive traditional handloom. The J&K Handloom Development Corporation was running a Kani shawl project at Kanihama for weaving Kani shawls. The project remained defunct for the last 15 years and was revived during 2011-12. The process of weaving Kani shawls in antique designs was started at Kanihama. |
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State exploiting only 10% of its power potential
Srinagar, June 10 India-Tech Foundation president Indra Mohan said the state had a potential of generating 25,000 MW hydropower due to presence of abundant water resources while it was only harnessing less than 10 per cent. He stated this while addressing a press conference here that was called a day ahead of the seventh National Hydropower Convention being organised by the India-Tech Foundation here. The two-day convention will focus on hydropower harnessing in the country, especially in Jammu and Kashmir. Managing Director of the J&K Power Development Corporation (JKPDC) Bashir Ahmad Dhar said the state would produce 8,298 MW power in the next 10 to 12 years. “We will be able to produce 8,298 MW power in the next 10-12 years as 41 new power projects will be set up in the meantime. Five projects have already been tendered out and we will be able to produce 3,000 MW power in the next five years. As of now, 760 MW power is generated by the 21 power projects managed by the state while 1,680 MW power is generated by four centrally managed power projects,” he said. Dhar said bids for setting up power projects would be invited globally. He said a national level hydropower training centre would be set up in Ganderbal district of the Kashmir valley that would generate employment avenues in the state. The services of passouts from the centre would be used to man the number of power projects coming up in the state. Dhar said a research project had been commissioned in Ladakh to explore the geothermal potential of the area. Indra Mohan said the state had a “lot to offer” in view of its water resources as setting up hydropower projects was more environment friendly. State produces 760 mw at present l
J&K has a hydropower potential of 25,000 MW, of which only 10 per cent is being harnessed l
21 power projects managed by the state produce 760 MW power at present l
The J&K Power Development Corporation intends to produce 8,298 MW power in the next 10-12 years by commissioning 41 new power projects l
A hydropower training centre coming up in Ganderbal district to train staff for management of power projects l
Himachal Pradesh is the most successful state as far as harnessing hydropower potential is concerned. Of the identified hydro potential of 18,820 MW, it has harnessed 7,293 MW so far |
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California murders: The J&K connection
Srinagar, June 10 “Avtar Singh’s family would have been alive if the government had conducted the trial and got him extradited from the US,” Jaleel’s elder brother Arshad Andrabi said. Arshad said the J&K police, New Delhi, the US Government and the Interpol failed to bring justice to them. “It is also the failure of justice at all levels,” Arshad said. Avtar Singh reportedly killed his wife and two of their children in their California home before committing suicide today. Avtar Singh, as per reports, had called the Selma police in California about the death of three family members before ending his life. “Had Avtar Singh, against whom there was an Interpol red-corner notice, faced trial, other details about the murder of my brother would have also come to the fore. He could not have killed my brother all alone. There must have been other persons who must have been instrumental in the killing of the noted lawyer,” Arshad said, adding that five FIRs were registered against Avtar Singh. The 36-year-old lawyer and human rights activist, Jaleel Andrabi, was arrested by an Army team, led by a Major, on March 8, 1996, when he was driving home along with his wife. Some 20 days later, Andrabi’s decomposed, trussed-up body was recovered from the Jhelum. The report of a special investigation team set up by the J&K High Court in June 1996 identified “an Army Major of 103 Territorial Army posted at Rawalpora as prima facie responsible for the death”. On the orders of the High Court, a murder case was registered against Major Avtar Singh and others. Singh later fled to the US after he was accused of murder. Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Srinagar, Mohammed Ibrahim Wani on February 6, 2010, issued an Interpol red-corner notice against Major Avtar Singh. The court had also directed the J&K Government and the Ministry of External Affairs to vigorously pursue the extradition of Major Avtar Singh. The case is now pending for trial before the court of the CJM, Srinagar, for over a decade. Singh was arrested by the California police in February this year following a complaint by his wife in connection with a domestic dispute. A noted human rights activist, Khuram Parvaiz, said the “impunity granted by the Indian state facilitated the murder of three more persons by Avtar Singh”. “His suicide and the murder of his family members is no justice for Kashmiris. Justice is still awaited...,” he said.
A peep into the case l Jaleel Andrabi was arrested by an Army Major on March 8, 1996 l Jaleel’s decomposed body was recovered from the Jhelum on May 27 l SIT was set up by the J&K High Court in June 1996, which identified Major Avtar Singh for Andrabi’s death l Singh later fled to the US after he was accused of murder l The CJM, Srinagar, on Febuaray 6, 2010, issued an Interpol red-corner notice against Major Avtar Singh. The court also directed the government to extradite him from the US l The case is lying pending for trial before the court of the CJM, Srinagar, for over a decade
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Fresh snowfall on Amarnath yatra routes
Srinagar, June 10 About 18 ft snow has been accumulated on the Chandanwari route in south Kashmir. As the distance from Chandanwari to the cave shrine is around 30 km, 18 ft snow has accumulated from the 15th to the 17th km stretch of the track. Even though Governor NN Vohra, who is also the SASB chairman, has directed officials to take urgent steps to hasten the snow-clearance work on the yatra routes by extending the working shifts, persistent inclement weather conditions are hindering the work. The pilgrimage is scheduled to commence on June 25 while the Governor will also be visiting the Baltal and Nunwan base camps between June 11 and 13. —
TNS
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Pandit youth tonsure heads in protest
Srinagar, June 10 “At least 24 protesters tonsured their heads to highlight their grievances as the government continues to ignore our demands,” said Youth All-India Kashmiri Samaj (YAIKS) member Sunil Dhar. “Our indefinite dharna has entered the sixth day today. However, no one from the government has visited us so far,” he added. Under the aegis of YAIKS, the protesting Kashmiri Pandit youth have been sitting on a dharna at Pratap Park here since June 5, demanding the implementation of the Prime Minister’s package. “As per the package announced in 2008, 6,000 displaced youth were to be appointed in different departments. Only 1,442 youth were appointed in the first phase under the central component, but the remaining posts are yet to be filled,” said YAIKS president RK Bhat. The protesters claimed that of the 3,000 posts to be filled by the state government, not a single appointment had been made. YAIKS had called off its 22-day-long dharna in March held in Jammu after Minister for Revenue and Rehabilitation Raman Bhalla and MoS for Home Nasir Aslam Wani assured it that its demands would be fulfilled.
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100 more panchayat members from south Kashmir resign
Srinagar, June 10 Nearly 100 more sarpanches and panches quit today, taking the total number of resignations to 250. All these resignations have been tendered from Shopian, Pulwama and Kulgam districts of south Kashmir. A senior official in Srinagar said only seven sarpanches and panches had submitted their resignation to Block Development Officers (BDO). “We do not know about 250 resignations. The panchayat rules say the resignation of sarpanches and panches has to be submitted to the BDO concerned, who is supposed to forward it to District Panchayat Officer (DPO),” said a senior official of the Rural Development Department. “I know that panchayat members are tendering resignations through newspapers, but we do not have figures about the resignations.” The figures collected by the CID from south Kashmir clearly show that 250 panches and sarpanches have tendered their resignation through advertisements. “It seems that more panchayat members might resign in the coming days,” said an official in Srinagar. Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) had few days ago pasted posters on electric polls and mosques in various areas of Shopian, threatening sarpanches and panches with “dire consequences”, if they did not resign within a week. After the threat, suspected militants had attacked a house of numberdar (village head) in Kulgam district on Wednesday. Minister for Rural Development, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Ali Mohammad Sagar said there were some isolated cases in Shopian district, where some miscreants had tried to create panic among panchayat members through posters. “Apart from these isolated cases in Shopian, no panch or sarpanch has resigned anywhere in the state,” Sagar said. The Minister said the mass resignation of the panchayat members was not true. DIG, south Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said they had revived night patrolling. “We are trying to improve the security wherever threatening posters have appeared. We will ensure that the confidence of the panches and sarpanches is restored,” the DIG told The Tribune. |
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I know how to topple inefficient
govts: Mufti
Jammu, June 10 The Mufti was addressing a function at Jammu to felicitate a student leader, Kuljeet Singh Jamwal, who joined the PDP recently. “We had toppled the government of Farooq Abdullah with the help of his (Farooq’s) brother-in-law in the early 80s because that government had lost the confidence of the people as well as the legislators,” he recalled and added that he knew how to dislodge such regimes through manipulation. “But I want to make it clear that we will not topple the present government through manipulation because this regime has already lost credibility among the people and has failed to connect itself with the common man,” he said. As a large number of residents of Jammu city had gathered at the function, the Mufti availed of this opportunity to remove any misconceptions about the PDP. “Our forces have tried to create a wrong perception that the PDP is only a Kashmir-centric party,” he said and added that the programmes and policies of the party were guided by the wishes and aspirations of the people. “Some forces had launched a vicious campaign against the PDP,” he said. However, the PDP through its convictions and commitments has proved all such malicious campaigns wrong, he added. The Mufti added that the PDP was formed with an aim to restore peace and dignity of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. “I was comfortable in the Congress, but we formed the PDP with an aim of restoring lasting peace in this region,” he said and sought support of every section of society to fulfil this dream. |
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Vohra mourns deaths in road mishap
Srinagar, June 10 In a statement issued here, the Governor conveyed sympathy to the bereaved families and prayed for eternal peace of the departed souls. He also prayed for the speedy recovery of all those who were injured in the road accidents which took place at Panthal and Kardi in Udhampur district last evening. The Governor also spoke to K Rajendra, acting Director-General of Police, and stressed the need for effective check by the traffic police in more vulnerable sectors, particularly on the connecting roads to
Katra.
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Set up tribal varsity in Pir Panchal belt,
Gujjars urge PM
Jammu, June 10 Javaid Rahi, secretary of the Tribal Foundation, said the foundation had sent a memorandum to the Prime Minister, a copy of which has been sent to the HRD Minister and the J&K Chief Minister demanding the establishment of a tribal university in the state. The memorandum reminded that a delegation of tribal people from the state had also met the Prime Minister and the Union HRD Minister in New Delhi last year and had submitted a memorandum along with other necessary documents, but nothing concrete had emerged out of it. The tribesmen demanded that since they constituted a sizeable population of Jammu and Kashmir and Gujjars comprised 85 per cent of the Scheduled Tribes communities, there was an urgent need for setting up a university exclusively for promoting avenues for higher education and research facilities for the tribal population. The tribesmen demanded an amendment to the National Tribal University Act, 2007, to extend it to J&K to establish a university in the state. |
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Providing education to less privileged vital challenge, says Governor
Srinagar, June 10 The Governor said this while addressing a fund-raising function organised by the Women’s Welfare Trust (WWT) here last evening. He called upon people and social and voluntary organisations to contribute towards supplementing the efforts made by the government for securing this vital objective. He lauded the WWT for its efforts towards the promotion of education of the girl child for the past more than eight decades. WWT president Girija Dhar, in her welcome address, gave details of the activities of the Trust. She also thanked the Governor for supporting the WWT in its endeavours. First Lady Usha Vohra was also present on the occasion. A dance presentation titled “Kashmir, Kashmiris and Kashmiriyat” was made on the occasion by Rama Vaidyanathan, a well-known Bharatnatyam dancer. The three-part dance presentation was based on Lal Ded’s mystical poetic verses and a selection of contemporary poetry on Kashmir by Meera Khanna, a writer and social activist. |
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Omar feels the heat on Twitter
Jammu, June 10 Interestingly, Omar, in his inimitable manner, is not only outspoken but also busy giving some diplomatic answers to these hard questions. Omar has over 1.45 lakh followers on Twitter. “Dear Omar Abdullah, your promise on getting Jaleel Andrabi’s family justice remained promise only. (Major Avtar Singh, Kashmir, India,” said one of his followers. Reacting to the tweet, the Chief Minister tweeted: “Alas sometimes my job stops me from sharing information that I have; so will just let events speak for themselves.” Another follower asked, “Today I asked my parents to visit the Amarnath shrine. They refused me and said it is a terrorist place. Is it true?” To this, the Chief Minister wrote: “You would be better off asking the question to the lakhs of people who came last year.” Omar, who was sworn in as the youngest Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir on January 5, 2009, is one of the leading politicians who have lakhs of followers on Twitter and give their followers a crisp insight into their daily routine. Though his controversial tweets, including favouring clemency for Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, landed him into controversy after controversy, yet he got instant fame across the country. One of Omar’s followers while posing a hard question wrote: “Why do you have a flag of Kashmir in your car and not that of India? I would like u to give an answer.” Reacting sharply to the comment, Omar tweeted: “With all due respect sir, you need to get your eyes tested.” On an average, Omar makes 12 to 15 tweets a day. He has made around 5,000 tweets till date. |
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Omar’s Cabinet meet in Kupwara cosmetic: Lone
Srinagar, June 10 “The Kupwara police, in connivance with the district authorities and workers of the ruling party, is not only allowing uninhibited corruption but also facilitating it,” he added. — TNS
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Hizb militant surrenders in Rajouri
Rajouri, June 10 Reports said Mohammed Riyaz alias, Anasulism Islam, of Dara village in the Thanamandi area of Rajouri district was allegedly picked up from Government Higher Secondary School, Thanamandi, by Hizbul Mujahideen commander Adil and chief commander, Rajouri-Poonch, Omar Farooq on March 23, 2003. The reports said, “They took him to Azmattabad where they stayed for five days in a thick forest area and waited for other associates. Later, they met Zulfakar, a Pakistani national, who took them to Keri in a Sumo. There were eight people who crossed the fence and reached PoK.” “He was gave a code name Anasulam Islam by Nassir, a Hizb commander. We received arms training in a camp for three months, where 350 local youth of Rajouri, Poonch and Kashmir were also being trained,” Riyaz said. He said, “After the first phase of the training, we were taken to an unknown place, where we trained with LMG, AK-47, and other arms and ammunitions. They also paid us wages of Rs 500 to 700 and maximum Rs 3,000 for training for eight days in the camp,” he added The reports said he had also worked at several places in Islamabad in Pakistan and done mobile repairing work and other petty jobs. He was fed-up of living in Pakistan and wanted to come back home. He then approached his father in Thanamandi and told him that he wanted to come home. The reports said Riyaz took the help of a Nepalese agent identified as Ilias, who prepared his passport and other related documents by taking Rs 90,000 from him. He was sent to Nepal from where he boarded a flight to Delhi. On reaching Thanamandi, he surrendered before the police. Riyaz said, “Hundreds of local youth from Rajouri, Poonch and Kashmir want to come back.” SP, Rajouri, Mubassir Latifi said, “We have arrested him and started the investigations. An FIR was lodged in a local police station against him for his involvement in militancy in 2011.” Latifi said, “We will take stern action against those overground workers who forced him to join militancy.” The SP said, “We have received several applications from youths who had crossed over to PoK for arms training and want to come back now. Their applications have been sent for verification.” |
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As the news about the suicide by former Major Avtar Singh, the main accused in the 1996 killing of Kashmiri lawyer Jaleel
Andrabi, broke this morning, the Andrabi family in uptown Srinagar rued that had New Delhi got the former Army officer extradited to India, three lives could have been saved.
Giving a veiled warning to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, patron of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today said he knew how to topple “inefficient” governments but hastened to add that this time he was not going to dislodge the present dispensation with manipulation. He observed that the present government headed by Omar Abdullah would succumb to its own “misdeeds”.
Governor NN Vohra has said providing education to all children of the state, particularly those belonging to the less-privileged segments of society, was an “important challenge” for the government.
