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Govt target: Jobs for one lakh youth in 5 years
Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh hands over a placement letter to a youth trained under the Himayat scheme in Pampore, near Srinagar, as Chief Minister Omar Abdullah looks on. A Tribune photograph
Cabinet approves release of 7% DA
Telecom boost for remote areas
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Gadkari has not answered graft charges convincingly: Pilot
Pro-Jammu groups all set to celebrate Accession Day
Police probing 6 cases of illegal LoC trade
Protest in Kashmir over Zanskar clashes
Darbar move staff to get clearance from power dept
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Govt target: Jobs for one lakh youth in 5 years
Srinagar, October 25 He was addressing a gathering of trainees who have completed training under the Himayat initiative and have been selected for jobs in the private sector. As many as 1,423 selected boys and girls received placement letters at the function held at the Entrepreneur Development Institute (EDI), Pampore near Srinagar, today. The Minister said the scheme had shown a remarkable progress during the past two years and the retention percentage of the trainees in the job market had increased from 40 per cent to 75 per cent. He expressed hope that the retention percentage would reach 90 to 100 per cent in the future. Jairam Ramesh said the Union government was working towards providing hostel accommodation for youth who have been provided jobs under the scheme outside the state. He said in the next three years, Himayat training centres would be established in all the 143 blocks of the state. Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah maintained that providing jobs to over six lakh unemployed youth in the state was not an easy task. He added that his government had adopted a multi-pronged programme to address the problem of unemployment in the state. He said the problem could not be resolved by providing government jobs only and held that this crisis was the second most important challenge following the issue of restoring permanent peace in the state. “Though government jobs to the maximum level are being created for educated youth, this is not the answer to defuse the problem in toto,” he said, adding that entrepreneurship development and involvement of the private sector in the stupendous task of providing jobs to unemployed youth was imperative. The Chief Minister said the ‘Udan’ and Himayat schemes sponsored by the Central government to train and upgrade the skills of state’s youth for placement in the job market were promising initiatives which were aimed at augmenting the state government’s efforts to defuse the unemployment crisis. |
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Cabinet approves release of 7% DA
Srinagar, October 25 The decision was taken by the Cabinet which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. It okayed the release of 7 per cent DA in cash. “The enhancement in the DA will also be for work charged/whole time contingent paid employees working in regular time scale,” an official spokesman said after the meeting. The Cabinet also ordered transfer of Commissioner Secretary, Transport Department Pawan Kotwal, as Commissioner Secretary, Public Health Engineering, Irrigation and Flood Control Department. “Kotwal shall take over the charge upon the superannuation of B D Sharma on October 31,” the spokesman said. The Charge of the Transport Department has been given to Mohammad Abbas Dar, Secretary, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD), in addition to his own duties. The Cabinet also released time scale of the Kashmir Administrative Service (KAS) in favour of Mohammad Maqbool Tantray (Excise and Taxation) Munir Hussian (Industries and Commerce) Tsering Wangchuk (Information) and Khursheed Ahmed Gangoo (Administrative Officer). |
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Telecom boost for remote areas
Jammu, October 25 “We are executing the wishes of the Ministry of Home Affairs and we have always maintained that all measures should comply with the requirement of the Home Ministry. We hope that sometime in the future we will be able to resolve the issue as the people of J&K deserve better facilities,” Pilot told reporters on the sidelines of a function at the University of Jammu here. He, however, said there were certain considerations regarding internal security that should be kept in mind. On June 29, 2010, the Centre had banned SMSes in J&K following large-scale violence and unrest in the Valley. The five-month unrest in Kashmir had witnessed death of 117 persons. The ban was imposed in the wake of reports that anti-social elements were using SMSes to mobilise people for violent protests in the Valley. Earlier, the minister while addressing a gathering, announced that the Centre would install 150 mobile towers and 267 satellite phones to improve mobile connectivity in far-off areas and border belts of the state. “We have already provided 580 satellite phones to the state and 267 more such phones will be installed in far-off areas and the Ladakh region. We have also decided to install 150 mobile towers in border and remote areas of the state to provide better connectivity to the people,” he said. Pilot, who also reviewed the telecommunication facilities in twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, said the Centre was keen to improve the connectivity level in the state and several measures had been initiated in this regard. |
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Gadkari has not answered graft charges convincingly: Pilot
Jammu, October 25 “If there is one set of rules for one person of a political party, then those rules must be applicable to everyone. But the fact of the matter is that the way questions are being raised about the BJP president, I think he has so far failed to answer them convincingly,” Pilot said. He was talking about BJP national president Nitin Gadkari and Congress chief ministerial candidate for Assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh Virbhadra Singh, both of whom are facing allegations of illegal business deals and corruption. The Union minister was in the town for the launch of e-learning content for the Course on Computer Concepts (CCC) in Dogri and for the inauguration of a computer forensic lab at the NIELIT at the University of Jammu here. He pointed out that government functionaries as well as political personalities needed to clarify charges levelled against them and that Virbhadra Singh had clarified things yesterday. “Gadkari has offered for a probe and if there is any act of omission and commission, the law will take its course. I don’t know whether the inquiry into the allegations against the BJP president has started yet but the allegations must be probed,” he said. Asked about speculations that he along with Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi may get Cabinet berths, the minister said Rahul Gandhi was not running behind any post. “It is the prerogative of the Prime Minister to induct anybody into the Cabinet. Rahul Gandhi is not behind any post as his sole motive is to strengthen the Congress at the grass-roots level and to work for the welfare of people. He is the only leader in the country who has established an emotional chord with people and he is associated with the aam adami (common man),” he said. He claimed that people of the country had liked the policies and programmes of the Congress and his party would make efforts to come up to the expectations of the common man. “Before our re-election, we had 156 MPs but our graph touched 209 in UPA-II, which was a clear indication that people like the Congress policies and they want our government to continue (working),” he said. While replying to another question, the Union minister lashed out at India Against Corruption (IAC) leader Arvind Kejriwal for following a “hit and run style of politics”, saying he had failed to answer even a single question by senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh. “Kejriwal’s style of politics, hit and run, won’t work as he has levelled certain allegations in the media. He must have substantiated his allegations and moved the court if there was any truth in his accusations,” Pilot said. |
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Pro-Jammu groups all set to celebrate Accession Day
Jammu, October 25 On October 26, 1947, Maharaja Hari Singh, ruler of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, had signed the Instrument of Accession document. By executing this document under the provisions of the Indian Independence Act, 1947, Maharajah Hari Singh had agreed to accede to the Indian Union. On October 27, 1947, on the request of Maharaja Hari Singh, the first batch of the Indian Army landed at Kashmir to save Jammu and Kashmir from tribals who had invaded the state with the help of Pakistani forces. Separatist groups have given a call to observe October 27 as a black day. “The present coalition regime has failed to keep a check on the activities of fundamentalist and secessionist forces of the Kashmir valley. So, we
have decided to give them a befitting reply by celebrating Accession Day
in the big way,” said BJP state president Shamsher Singh Manhas. The Panthers Party has already announced its decision to celebrate Accession Day with pump and show. “Actually, it is the duty of the state government to celebrate this day like August 15 and January 26 but the government lacks the guts to take on secessionists, who usually observe this day as a black day,” said Balwant Singh Mankotia, state president of the Panthers Party. He said it was the duty of every citizen of Jammu and Kashmir to celebrate Accession Day with fervour and gaiety. The Panthers Party has given directions to all its block-level units to celebrate Accession Day. Apart from organising functions at Jammu, the BJP has also decided to organise programmes at all district headquarters. The Duggar Vichar Manch, a social organisation, has also decided to organise an Accession Day function at the historical Mubarak Mandi complex --- the seat of the erstwhile Dogra rulers. The Manch has extended invitation to a number of social and religious organisations for the function. |
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Police probing 6 cases of illegal LoC trade
Srinagar, October 25 The investigation, which is still on, has so far found ten persons to be involved in these cases. The investigating agencies also claim to have recovered currency notes worth Rs 1,62,000 from the possession of the accused persons. Official documents have revealed that since 2009, the Jammu and Kashmir Police has registered seven cases involving Hawala money transactions and unlawful activities. The state government is responsible for security checks and examination of goods at the trade facilitation centres at Salamabad in Uri and Chakandabagh in Poonch. In many instances, security and intelligence agencies including the Counter Intelligence Kashmir (CIK) wing of the police have recovered satellite phones, weapons and Pakistani SIM cards from the accused persons, the documents have revealed. In some instances in 2009, after receiving some information, the police in Poonch had recovered a satellite phone from the possession of an LoC passenger, who was travelling on a valid LoC permit. An FIR stands registered at the Poonch police station against two persons and the police has already produced the charge sheet before a court in this regard. In another FIR registered at the Police Station CIK, Srinagar, the police had in February 2011 arrested an LoC truck driver Bashir Ahmad Wagay, hailing from Ganderbal district, and had recovered four grenades from his truck, the documents have revealed. In another case involving alleged transfer of Hawala money, the CIK arrested a shopkeeper from Baramulla on May 19, 2011, after receiving a tip-off. The subsequent investigation revealed that under the garb of LOC trade, the accused allegedly used to receive cash from a banned militant organisation from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) for distribution among its militant cadres active in Kashmir for carrying subversive activities. The police is still investigating into the case and an FIR has been registered against two persons under Sections 13, 17 of the Unlawful Activities Act (ULA) at the Police Station CIK, Srinagar. In another violation reported in March this year, an LoC traveller from PoK was arrested in Poonch after the police recovered a contraband of fake currency notes from his possession. An FIR stands registered in this case against the accused and the investigation is still going on, the documents reveal. Sources in the police say it is only after such kind of illegal activities came to the fore that the authorities are considering installation of full body truck scanners at the trade facilitation centres in Uri and Poonch to check the trade of contraband items and other subversive activities. “The installation of truck scanners is basically to be done by the Ministry of Defence. However, the installation of these scanners will speed up the examination of the LoC trade goods,” custodian of LoC Trade, Kashmir, Nazir Ahmad Baba told The Tribune, adding that at present the scanning was done by manual gadgets, which was very time-consuming. The likelihood of installation of full body scanners has been welcomed by traders and industry representatives at both the places. “The security of the state is and should be our primary concern. These scanners are bound to ensure foolproof scanning of the vehicles and will enhance security,” Nazir said. |
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Protest in Kashmir over Zanskar clashes
Srinagar, October 25 “Landline and other means to communicate have been blocked there and we are worried as we cannot contact our families. The Chief Minister should intervene so that communal forces are reined in,” said a resident of Zanskar during the protest at the Press Enclave. The authorities had yesterday imposed curfew in Zanskar following communal clashes over “forcible conversions”. The protesters, however, claimed that forcible conversions had not taken place. The Langate MLA claimed, “When there is freedom to choose religion, conversions taking place on one’s own will should not be objected to. However, if forcible conversions take place, only then should people object.” Rasheed urged the government to take steps to normalise the situation at Zanskar. While the protesters dispersed peacefully, they raised slogans against Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and the Ladakh administration. “Wake up Omar Abdullah,” they shouted. The Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) too condemned the violence at Zanskar.
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Darbar move staff to get clearance from power dept
Jammu, October 25 A team of department officials from Jammu is camping in Srinagar for the past one week, collecting details and issuing clearance certificates in favour of the employees. Officials said the step had been taken because with the arrival of thousands of people from the Valley in order to escape the harsh winter conditions, an additional burden is put on the department, which has to supply the electricity. “It is mandatory for all the Move employees who occupy government accommodations provided by the Estate Department to execute agreements otherwise power supply will not be provided to them,” said PDD chief engineer Shenaz Goni. Goni claimed that this way, the department would be able to create a database on the electricity consumed by each family which stays in the city during the six-month-long period, during which the administration functions in the winter capital. There are around 3,500 quarters of the Estate Department. Several hundred quarters at Janipur, Sarwal, Subash Nagar and BC Road remain unoccupied during summer months. A senior officer said most of the employees and their families from the Valley use heavy electrical gadgets such as heaters which puts an additional burden on the department. He said after signing the new agreement, the department would conduct a survey of the units also. “Its not about the employees, their families and relatives also stay in these quarters which is the main reason for the increase in the load, which in turn puts a pressure on our systems,” an executive engineer said. There are 20,15,088 households across the state---10,21,244 in the Jammu region and 9,93,844 in the Kashmir valley as per the 2011 census--- and 17,53,201 (87 per cent) of these households have the facility of power. Of these 11,30,541 are registered consumers of the Power Development Department while as 6,24,461 are unregistered consumers, which means they are using electricity without paying even a single penny to the department. “The unregistered load is the main reason for the increase of T&D (Transmission and Distribution) losses in the state. However, we have already started an exercise to regularise the illegal load,” the Chief Engineer said. |
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Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh has said the training and placement of one lakh youth of the state in the next five years has been set as a target under the ‘Himayat’ scheme.
Srinagar, October 25
