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Central employment scheme Udaan fails to take wings
Banner diplomacy keeps conflict away at LAC
Jammu sweets a favourite with Pakistan army
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Rahul’s team gets feedback on ministers in coalition
Central team examines public distribution system in Udhampur
Gujjars want Jammu varsity to set up Gojri dept
Jawan commits suicide
High-level govt team visits violence-hit Zanskar
Members of the Ladakh Students’ All Zanskar Gonpa Association hold a protest in Jammu on Sunday. — PTI JSM presses for liberation of PoK
Kishtwar on country’s crime map, courtesy high-profile cases
AFWWA Day celebrated in Jammu
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Central employment scheme Udaan fails to take wings
Jammu, October 28 The scheme has failed to make any impact on the ground in its initial phase as just 150 unemployed youth were imparted professional training since the launch of the scheme in March this year. This figure is in sharp contrast to the staggering over six lakh registered unemployed youth in Jammu and Kashmir. The placement record also remained abysmal as not even one youth out of the 150 who were trained under the scheme got a placement. The state’s unemployment rate is 5.3 per cent. The Udaan scheme, with a budget of Rs 1,000 crore for five years, is being funded by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). It is targeted at graduates and postgraduates, who are trained and placed by corporate partners outside J&K. There are more than 85,000 graduates and 20,000 postgraduates registered with various employment cells in Official sources said the scheme was started without “proper homework”, while the eight corporates which entered into an agreement with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) for providing employment-oriented training to youth faced procedural glitches. The sources also blamed the state government for its “failure” to popularise and disseminate proper awareness about the project among the educated unemployed youth of “A team of the Central government headed by Ramadorai, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Skill Development, had recently visited Jammu and Srinagar to review the progress of Udaan. It had expressed displeasure over the dismal performance vis-à-vis implementation of the scheme,” a source said. The team had held interactions with the vice-chancellors of University of Jammu, Mata Vaishno Devi University, Baba Ghulam Shah and Agriculture University, and 20 college principals and state officials in Jammu. “There is a need to create more awareness among unemployed youth about the scheme. We have faced problems in popularising the scheme but various universities and colleges have been directed to promote the job scheme. Besides, there is a need to do more ground work to achieve the desired results,” admitted Minister for Labour and Employment Abdul Gani Malik. He said the state government was working in close coordination with the Centre to achieve the “desired results”. “We are working out some modalities to make the scheme more realistic, attractive and flexible,” he said. The Central government had also planned to double the reimbursement in lieu of travel, boarding and lodging expenses to make the scheme more attractive. An Expert Group constituted by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) under the chairpersonship of C. Rangarajan was entrusted with the task of formulating a job plan for J-K in 2011. The panel had recommended the Special Industry Initiative (SII) scheme, which is commonly known as Udaan. |
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Banner diplomacy keeps conflict away at LAC
Jammu, October 28 Calm has been restored to the extent that not a single bullet has been exchanged between the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) since the 1962 Indo-Sino conflict. “Incidents of transgression and not incursion do happen in the Ladakh region because the LAC has not been clearly demarcated between the two countries. There are certain pockets which are disputed. We also patrol such areas and they also come there,” said a top ITBP source. The source, however, claimed that not a single bullet had been fired since the 1962 Indo-Sino conflict in this strategic region. “There are no new incidents of transgression and the LAC remains calm because both sides (the ITBP and the PLA) rely upon a convenient and effective way of showing banners written in English and Mandarin Chinese to retreat in case of any transgression,” he said. “As a part of a bilateral agreement to maintain cordial relations along the LAC, we show them banners and they also adopt a similar practice whenever either of us inadvertently enters each other’s territory,” he added. The practice has paid rich dividends to both the sides in ensuring peace along the LAC, said the officer. The officer said that going by the peace along the LAC, it was evident that the ITBP and the PLA enjoyed a healthy relation in the Ladakh region. “It is a positive sign but that doesn’t mean we remain off-guard,” he added. Despite several rounds of talks, Beijing and New Delhi have so far failed to resolve the 50-year-old border dispute between the two countries. In April 2005, both countries worked out a banner drill, which helps keep the tension under check. The 10-foot-wide banner with a slogan reminds Indian and Chinese troops of the 2005 agreement and tells them to retreat to their own territory. It effectively helps de-escalate tension along the LAC, said the officer. In the Ladakh region, China considers the
Demchok area a disputed territory. The ITBP, as of today, has five battalions in the Ladakh region. One battalion has 1,300 personnel. The 3,488-km-long LAC between India and China runs through the Himalayan states of J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. J&K alone shares 1,600 km of LAC with China. |
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Jammu sweets a favourite with Pakistan army
Jammu, October 28 Pakistan Rangers in particular are fond of Pahalwan’s preparations and eagerly await the festive season to savour them. “A senior officer of the Rangers had said their families loved the sweets from Pahalwan di Hatti when in a hurry we had to give them sweets from another sweet shop in RS Pura,” said a senior BSF officer. The Rangers especially request us to bring sweets from Pahalwan di Hatti during Eid, Diwali, Independence Day, Chamliyal Mela and other festivals. “Such festivals help remove animosity and bring cohesiveness because sitting aloof on both sides of the borderline only increases bitterness,” said the officer. The BSF usually hands over sweets to the Rangers via the octroi post along the international border in the Suchetgarh area of Jammu district while the Indian Army prefers to give sweets at Chakan-da-Bagh along the LoC in Poonch district. “Since our sweets from Pahalwan di Hatti are much better, superior and tastier than their sweets, Pakistani officials are really fond of them,” said the officer. “However, they also bring the best of their preparations for us. They bring sweets from the Lahore-based Nirala Sweets — a reputed sweetmeat seller of Pakistan,” added the officer. “Though Pakistan’s policy towards India is an open secret yet such festivals and gestures of offering the best to each other certainly make things easier for the commanders of the BSF and Rangers to amicably resolve issues at the local level,” the BSF officer said. An Army officer said they also sent delicacies of the Pahalwan di Hatti for their counterparts on the other side of the LoC. “We get Pahalwan’s preparations from an outlet in Poonch before handing them over to a Pakistan army officer via the Chakan-da-Bagh point,” he said. Fully aware of the fact that his sweets are a hit with the Pakistan army and Rangers, Pahalwan di Hatti owner Navneet Abrol said: “Army and BSF officers come to us for placing orders of sweets for their Pakistani counterparts. They mostly order doda barfi, nutties, chocolate barfi and ladoos.” Pahalwan di Hatti was set up in a narrow lane of Pir Mitha here in 1934 by the late Anant Ram Abrol. |
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Rahul’s team gets feedback on ministers in coalition
Jammu, October 28 The team comprising confidants of Rahul, including a Member of Parliament from Rajasthan, stayed at Jammu for two days and interacted with more than two dozen party leaders, including some Youth Congress activists, who briefed the team about the working of the party ministers. Sources in the Congress said Rahul had deputed this team because during his visit in Kashmir in the first week of this month, a majority of the party activists had complained against Congress ministers. Some Congress ministers in the government are already facing charges of corruption. “During his visit in Kashmir, Rahul had not received a good response about Congress ministers so he deputed a team of his confidants to get a feedback,” a source said, adding that during the interaction with party leaders, the team members were very specific about getting a feedback on party ministers. Sources said the Congress high command had decided to get the “exact” feedback about all party ministers before taking any decision regarding a reshuffle or expansion in the state Cabinet. “The fate of the incumbent party ministers in the coalition will be decided on the basis of the feedback from the grass-roots level,” said a source, adding that the party high command wanted to drop some ministers so as to give a chance to some new faces. No Congress leader was ready to speak about the secret visit of the team deputed by the Congress general secretary despite the fact that prominent Congress leaders had met the team and given their feedback. “To keep their visit a secret, the team invited all the leaders individually and gave them clear instructions to not disclose anything about their meeting to anyone,” he said. Sources said the team had collected information about all the block and district presidents of the Congress, Mahila Congress and the Youth Congress. They said Rahul was likely to visit the Jammu region very soon to interact with workers at the grass-roots level. “Instead of holding any public meeting, Rahul this time will organise a meeting to establish direct contact with block and district presidents of the Congress and its other wings,” said a source. |
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Central team examines public distribution system in Udhampur
Jammu, October 28 Among others, Udhampur Deputy Commissioner (DC) PK Pole, CA&PD Deputy Director PK Koul were present in the meeting. Pole apprised the CVC research team of the capacity of the stores in the district, number of families and quota of food grains in each tehsil, shortfall of food grains and the staff strength of the CA&PD Department. The DC said regular market checking had been initiated in the district and 92 challans ad been issued during the same. Later, a public hearing was conducted by the CVC team in the presence of Additional Deputy Commissioner Surat Singh in which ration card holders, members of Fair Price Shops Dealers' Associations, sarpanches, panches, social workers and transporters participated. During this hearing, many demands of these people were listed such as timely distribution of ration, enhancement of the quantity of ration, special supply of ration during festival days, issuance of new ration cards, a proper check over the quality and pilferage of food grains and enhancement of dealers’ commission. |
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Gujjars want Jammu varsity to set up Gojri dept
Jammu, October 28 The Gujjar-Bakerwals, a major Scheduled Tribe of the state, in a handout issued here appealed for the implementation of the decision of its council meeting held in 2008 in the presence of the Jammu University Chancellor, Governor and the Chief Minister in which a full-fledged research centre was approved for the development of Gojri language. The community alleged that there was a well knitted conspiracy hatched by some high officials of the university to sabotage the move as the matter has been lingering on for the past four years. The secretary of the foundation, Dr Javaid Rahi, said, “We are demanding that the centre should be established at Jammu, the midpoint of the state, so that students of other parts of the province could also study this subject but the university authorities are bent upon delaying it by saying that the Gojri centre will be established at Poonch, 250 km from Jammu, which is illogical.” He said Gojri speaking people, who constitute 20 to 25 per cent of the population of the state were fighting for the establishment of the Gojri department, on the lines of the Dogri and Kashmiri departments in the universities of Jammu and Kashmir, since 1980. He said after a long struggle, the highest body of the Jammu University approved it in 2008 but nothing concrete has emerged on the ground. Rahi said the state government had already recognised Gojri by including it in the 6th Schedule of the state constitution but till date, no university in the state had included it its curriculum. He said it was the aspiration of lakhs of people who wanted due credit to be given to the language. |
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Jawan commits suicide
Rajouri, October 28 Intelligence sources said Vijay Kumar of Talwada village of Faridabad (Haryana) ended his life with his service gun by firing three rounds at his chest at the Makdi base camp near the Line of Control in Rajouri this afternoon. Kumar had joined the Indian Army a year back. The police is investigating the matter.
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High-level govt team visits violence-hit Zanskar
Jammu, October 28 The delegation comprised Minister for Tourism Nawnag Rigzin Jora, MoS Home and Tourism Nasir Aslam Wani and Director General of Police Ashok Prasad. They were accompanied by Zanskar MLA Feroz Ahmad Khan, executive councilor Punchok Tashi, Kargil Deputy Commissioner M Raju and Additional Deputy Commissioner Kacho Hassan Khan. The spokesperson said the delegation appealed to both the communities to maintain peace in the region. The Kargil Deputy Commissioner, while addressing a public durbar at Drass, claimed that the situation in Zanskar was under control and gave a detailed account on the security arrangements made for the safety of the minorities in Zanskar. He requested people to maintain peace and prosperity in the district. He said the administration had transferred the SDM and the tehsildar of Zanskar. “The communication system has been restored and the curfew has been lifted,” he said. The district administration had imposed a curfew in Kargil district last Tuesday after three people, including the Zanskar tehsildar, were injured in communal clashes. Meanwhile, the All Zanskar Gonpa Association has condemned the recent clashes and has demanded an independent probe into the incidents. “There is a need for an independent and a thorough probe into the recent clashes as it seems to be more than what meets the eye,” said a member of the association. |
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JSM presses for liberation of PoK
Jammu, October 28 The meeting was addressed by Virender Gupta, HB Khajuria, Nathu Ram Gupta, Divender Singh Jamwal, Parveen Sharma and VD Dogra. The speakers praised Maharaja Hari Singh for signing the Instrument of Accession and for making Jammu and Kashmir as a part of Indian Union thereby saving the life, property, honour and dignity of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, in particular the Kashmiri masses. The speakers regretted that the Government of India had failed to get liberated the part of Jammu and Kashmir state that was forcefully occupied by Pakistan forces and people leaving in those parts of Jammu and Kashmir state were leading a miserable life, denied of their democratic rights. The speakers reminded the Government of India that whole of Jammu and Kashmir state had acceded to Indian Union, but then the Government under the influence of the conspiracy hatched by Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah asked its advanced troops to retreat back and leave the area vacated from the clutches of the Pakistani army at the mercy of Pakistan. They also reminded of the promises made time and again to the people of the country and of Jammu and Kashmir by the Indian leadership and the resolution passed by the Indian Parliament in 1994 and asked the Union government to fix a definite and time-bound target to get Pakistan-occupied part of Indian Union vacated. |
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Kishtwar on country’s crime map, courtesy high-profile cases
Jammu, October 28 While prime accused in Laila Khan murder case Parvez Iqbal Tak and one of the Delhi High Court blast accused Shakir Hussain, aka Chota Hafiz, belong to Bonjwa and Palmar villages, respectively, in Kishtwar district, Kandahar plane hijack plotter and ISI operative Mehraj-ud-Din Dand, a native of Sopore village in Baramulla district of north Kashmir, was arrested in Kishtwar district. “The Laila Khan murder case and Delhi High Court blast case that hogged media attention had their roots in Kishtwar, while Kandahar plane hijack plotter and ISI operative Mehraj-ud-Din Dand was arrested by the Kishtwar police,” said DIG, Doda-Ramban-Kishtwar range, Garib Dass. While Dand was shifted to the Joint Interrogation Centre in Jammu, Parvez Iqbal Tak --- stepfather of slain Bollywood starlet Laila Khan -- was arrested from Jammu city, said the DIG. However, Hizbul terrorist Chota Hafiz, wanted by the NIA for Delhi High Court blast, still remains at large. He is suspected to be hiding in upper reaches of the Marwah-Dachhan region. Laila Khan’s murder on February 8 last year followed by the Delhi HC blast on September 7 last year and arrest of ISI operative Dand on June 21 this year, in one way or the other, have their roots in Kishtwar, said the DIG. In all three cases, the Kishtwar police played a pro-active role in spilling the beans, he added. The officer disclosed that Tak’s close aide Shakir Hussain Wani, who had been kept as a watchman at the starlet’s Igatpuri farmhouse and who has been charge-sheeted by the crime branch of the Mumbai Police, also remains at large. Wani belongs to Gandoh village of Doda district and has married a woman from Tak’s native village Bonjwa in the neighbouring Kishtwar district. In Delhi HC blast case, the NIA had traced the terror e-mail sent to media houses to Global Internet cyber café in Kishtwar town. Kishtwar district, being centrally located from the capital cities of Srinagar and Jammu, remains a communally sensitive area, said a top source. The district, as per the 2011 Census, has a population of 2,31,037 and an average literacy rate of 58.54 per cent. It has Hindus and Muslims almost in equal proportion. |
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AFWWA Day celebrated in Jammu
Jammu, October 28 A health lecture on joint pains among women was delivered by the senior medical officer of the station, Wing Commander Darin Saka. In the function, wives of retired Air Warriors were the honoured guests. |
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Quake jolts Kashmir, no casualties Srinagar, October 28 The epicentre of the tremor was in the Hindukush region of Afghanistan. On October 8, 2005, an earthquake had flattened vast swathes of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and many hamlets in the Valley along the LoC, killing thousands of people. — PTI
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Srinagar, October 28 The injured were taken to the SKIMS hospital in Soura for treatment where Bhat succumbed to his injuries. A case has been registered. —PTI
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Srinagar, October 28
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As the law and order situation improved after the communal clashes in the Zanskar area of Kargil district, a high-level delegation of the state government today visited the town and held a dialogue with the representatives of two communities.
Jammu, October 28
The Air Force Station, Jammu, today celebrated the Air Force Wives Welfare Association
(AFWWA) Day.
A series of events were part of the celebrations which began on October 19. To mark the culmination today, a rich cultural and entertainment programme was presented by ‘sanginis’ (ladies of the Air Force Station).
