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Union Minister to take up minority commission issue with Omar
Pakistan troops open fire along Line of Control
Govt ropes in MLAs for monitoring LPG supply
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Saffron harvest commences in Pampore
Chefs in the making in Gurez, courtesy Central govt initiative
ITBP, BSF rue disparity in pay scales
Kavinder Gupta likely to head state BJP
Custodial death: Govt given one more week to file affidavit
BJP: Anti-India activism in state cause for concern
Governor calls for revival of J&K’s pluralistic tradition
Normalcy returns to Kishtwar
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Union Minister to take up minority commission issue with Omar
New Delhi, October 30 While specifically referring to J&K where there is a unique problem of the central Muslim minority being a majority and Sikhs and Hindus being in minority instead, Rahman Khan said he would not just take up the matter with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, but would also visit J&K
if required. Khan was replying to a specific query by The Tribune regarding the absence of the minority commissions in several states, including Haryana and J&K. In J&K, which has special status under the Constitution, any central law is applicable only if the state government adopts it in its assembly. J&K is yet to adopt the 1992 National Commission for Minorities Act to set up a state-level minority commission and notify the actual minorities as per the local realities of the area. At least 10 states in the country are yet to set up the minority commissions and in the absence of proper legal mechanisms, the minorities are left high and dry in the event of victimisation. Khan said he was aware of the fact that J&K had prepared a Bill to set up a minority commission and promised that he would take this long-awaited agenda of the state minority communities forward. J&K has more than 15 lakh Sikh voters and about 60,000 Sikhs are estimated to be residing in the Valley. As per the record of the National Commission for Minorities, there are
about 3,700 Kashmiri Pandit families in the Kashmir valley, while the rest
have migrated. Sikhs are particularly vulnerable as they have not managed to get any benefit of the central-level minority schemes while the migrant Kashmiri Pandits have received some kind of help in lieu of their displacement from home. Importantly, even the states like Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh have gone ahead and notified Sikhs as a minority enabling them to avail the benefits under the Prime Minister's 15-point programme. The National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992, lists the following as minorities — Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists and Parsis who, as per the 2001 Census, constitute 18.42 per cent of India's population.
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Pakistan troops open fire along Line of Control
Jammu, October 30 “Pakistani Rangers opened small arms fire on the Indian post of Pindi along the International Border in Arnia sub-sector at 11.45 am today when our boys were carrying out routine maintenance work,” said a senior BSF officer. The official said they fired around four rounds of small arms fire compelling them to respond immediately. The situation was stable thereafter, he added. On October 27, the BSF had gifted sweets and fruits to the Rangers via the octroi post in Suchetgarh sector to mark the Eid festival. On the Line of Control (LoC) in Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch district, the Pak Army this morning opened fire on Ghora, Chajaman and Dogra posts between 5.45 am to 6.30 am. Intelligence sources said the Pak troops opened small arms fire in a bid to push a group of ultras to the Indian side. The Army gave a calibrated response thwarting the nefarious designs of the Pak Army, the sources added. Last evening, the Pakistani troops opened fire on forward Indian posts in Krishna Ghati (KG) sector along the LoC in Mendhar tehsil of Poonch district. “Pak troops opened fire at Ghora and Dogra posts of the Indian Army from their Battal and Roza posts around 7 pm last evening,” said an Intelligence source. The Army returned the fire, he said. He added the Army had observed movement of suspected ultras across the LoC. The Pak troops initially used heavy fire arms but they switched over to small arms fire after some time, said the source. No casualty or injury to soldiers was reported in the fire. |
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Govt ropes in MLAs for monitoring LPG supply
Jammu, October 30 Officials said the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) Department, state-level coordinators of oil companies and the Joint Controller, Legal Metrology, had been asked to supply regular information to public representatives to ensure that the people got the required supply on time. The state had already demanded an additional supply of kerosene from the oil companies after the Central government expressed its inability to treat J&K as a special category region. The advance stocking of foodgrains, sugar, kerosene and LPG cylinders at higher reaches of the Jammu province is going on a war footing before the snowfall blocks the roads. Minister for Consumer Affairs Qamar Ali Akhoon said he was himself reviewing the supply position of fuel and foodgrains in the rural and far-flung areas in the region,
which would be hit by extreme winter. About 15 lakh LPG users in the state will have to face their harshest winter this year as the LPG crisis is looming large over the Himalayan region. Due to severe cold conditions from October to April, household consumption of fuel shows remarkable increase. But for the next six months, people will get only three subsidised refills. On September 15, the Union Cabinet Committee had decided to restrict the sale of subsidised LPG cylinders to six per consumer annually to end the huge losses that oil companies were incurring. |
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Saffron harvest commences in Pampore
Anantnag, October 30 The harvesting season of this world’s costliest spice, spanning almost three weeks, begins in the last week of October. “Not only do the fields remain abuzz during this period with people plucking flowers, but tourists and locals also throng these fields for sightseeing,” said a cultivator Mushtaq Ahmad. Saffron cultivated in these fields along the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway is regarded as one of the best quality saffron in the world. These fields in the Pampore town alone produce around 40 quintals of this rare spice, followed by a comparatively lesser production in the Budgam and Kishtwar areas of Jammu and Kashmir. “This year the production is expected to be higher than the previous years. The Agriculture Department has assisted the cultivators and made them change the seeds in their fields for a better productivity,” said Abdul Rehman, another cultivator. The cultivators, however, amid the festivity have their fingers crossed, keeping in view the past experience of the market rates. The cultivators say that the rates have been fluctuating ever since the allegations of duplicity in the saffron market surface a couple of years back. “In 2007-2008, the rates sky rocketed. After the reports of duplicate saffron being sold started doing rounds in the market outside Kashmir, saffron was sold at as high as Rs 2,800 per 10 gm,” a cultivator said. He said these days the rates had gone down to just Rs 900 per 10 gm. Hopefully, the rates would be better this year. Meanwhile, vendors selling ice-creams and another food items are making a beeline to the saffron fields in this south Kashmir town and the business is brisk. |
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Chefs in the making in Gurez, courtesy Central govt initiative
Srinagar, October 30 The picturesque Gurez, which has seen some fierce gun battles between militants and the Army, remains cut off from the rest of the Valley during winter due to heavy snowfall. The training to the Gurez youth in cooking, housekeeping and serving food is being imparted by the Institute of Hotel Management, Srinagar, under the Centre-sponsored initiative Hunar Se Rozgar Tak (HSRT) of the Union Ministry of Tourism. “The local boys and girls in the age group of 18-25 years from Gurez are being trained as tourist facilitators (for guiding tourists) and in cooking and serving. The training is aimed at helping them earn their livelihood, which in turn would develop tourism in the area,” said the Principal of the Institute of Hotel Management, Srinagar, Aftab Ahmed Banday. The youngsters were selected after a screening test as a large number of local youth had shown interest in these courses. “The course will also create employability skills among these youth. The course concludes in six weeks and the trained youth will be provided a certificate by the institute at the end of the course,” Banday said. A faculty member involved in training the youth, Sheikh Nasir, said the candidates selected for the training had a lot of talent. “The youngsters undergoing the course are talented. By imparting training to the youth, we are sure that tourism in Gurez would pick up as this valley has got immense tourism potential,” Nasir said. The hotel management institute plans to hold similar courses in other parts of the Kashmir valley. They plan to train 3,500 youngsters under the Hunar Se Rozgar Tak
programme.
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ITBP, BSF rue disparity in pay scales
Jammu, October 30 The ITBP has the operational responsibility of 1,600-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC) while the BSF guards the 192-km international border (IB) in the state. “Though the Centre implemented the Military Service Pay under the Sixth Pay Commission in 2008 for the three services, i.e. Army, Navy and Air Force, a final notification under the Paramilitary Service Pay has not been issued till date,” said a top ITBP official pleading anonymity. He said the ITBP and BSF were the two paramilitary forces that bore the first brunt of enemy attack, worked with the Army during wartime and sweat even more during peacetime but still a raw deal had been meted out to them. During wartime, the ITBP and BSF come under the operational command of the Army and they also participate in the conflict. The disparity in remuneration demoralises the personnel and officers in a big way, he added. Citing example, he added that a Lt Colonel in the Army had been included in pay band-4 but the official of the same rank in the ITBP was still getting salary as per the pay band-3. The pay disparity in such case is around Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 on per month basis. The ITBP has submitted a detailed memorandum to Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde during his visit to Ladakh on October 6 this month, the official said. “The ITBP does more work during peacetime and we also take active part during wars but ironically we get less remuneration compared to the Army,” he said. The ITBP has over 75,000 personnel on its rolls, most of whom are deployed along the 3,488-km LAC between India and China that runs through J&K, HP, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. The BSF that guards the Indo-Pakistan and Indo-Bangladesh borders had also demanded implementation of the Paramilitary Service Pay. Similarly, many officials in the BSF feel that while the threats and challenges are same, the salaries and perks are not similar for the paramilitary and Army personnel. The BSF employs about 2.15 lakh strong force.
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Kavinder Gupta likely to head state BJP
Jammu, October 30 This is being seen by many as a damage control exercise by the BJP as the expelled leader is said to have roped in a large number of party workers with him. Sources say many a party leaders are vying for the post of the state president and are throwing their weight around to get the same. Former Mayor of the Jammu Municipal Corporation Kavinder Gupta is likely to emerge as a
frontrunner for the post, they added. Gupta is an old RSS hand and even the saffron guard has no reservation on
his name. Sources in the BJP said the party high command had already informed Kavinder Gupta about his name being “seriously considered”
for the post. “After completion of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly election, Gupta will be called to New Delhi to discuss various aspects,” sources said. The issue was thoroughly discussed during the meeting of the core group of the state BJP leaders with national president Nitin Gadkari earlier this month, sources added. The tenure of incumbent state president Shamsher Singh Manhas will come to an end in December
this year. Sources said by appointing Kavinder Gupta as the new state president, the party wanted to regain its lost ground among the Mahajan community which was once considered a strong BJP vote bank. “After Chaman Lal Gupta was expelled from the party, the Mahajan community was annoyed with the BJP. Hence, the party wants to take this step to strengthen its base among them again,” sources said. The party high command was earlier thinking to appoint Jugal Kishore Sharma as the new state president. The party then revised its strategy keeping in mind the influence of Chaman Lal Gupta among party cadres. “The party also wants to keep the RSS in good humour and, therefore, the leadership has decided to appoint Kavinder Gupta as the new state party chief,” a source in the party said. Gupta along with six other MLAs was expelled for cross voting in the Legislative Council elections held on April 13 last year. The party after having expelled as many as seven MLAs was finding it hard to keep its flock together. Chaman Lal Gupta, who is associated with the Sangh Parivar since 1950, has a strong base in the party. Following his expulsion from the party, many leaders from across the Jammu region had resigned against the decision of the high command. |
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Custodial death: Govt given one more week to file affidavit
Srinagar, October 30 Sajjad (22) from Sangrampora in Sopore had died at the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Srinagar, on March 22 while serving detention under the Public Safety Act (PSA) at the Kupwara district jail. The High Court had on October 11 asked the state government to file an affidavit explaining the steps taken on the magisterial inquiry. The report was forwarded by Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Asghar Samoon to the Chief Secretary for necessary action in April this year. As the case came up for hearing before Justice Muzaffar Attar today, the counsel representing state government sought more time to file the affidavit. “The court has granted the respondent authorities a week’s time to file the affidavit,” said advocate Mina Qayoom, who represents the victim’s family in the petition. In the affidavit, he said, the government has to explain what legal action it has taken against the guilty jail officials, whom the magistrate has blamed for the custodial death of Sajjad. The report of the magisterial inquiry, which was ordered by the Kupwara District Magistrate on March 3, had held the district jail authorities and the jail medical staff guilty of negligence. The magisterial probe concluded that the victim was physically unfit, having acute problem and a head injury. Though Sajjad died serving detention under the PSA, his habeas corpus petition challenging his detention is still pending in the High Court. Following the custodial death of Sajjad, the Director General of Police (Prisons) issued orders to withhold the annual increment and promotion for one year of the then in charge of the Kupwara jail, Ghulam Qadir Padroo (jail superintendent), for “carelessness, non-seriousness and lapse” on his part.
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BJP: Anti-India activism in state cause for concern
Jammu, October 30 In a statement issued here today, Singh urged the district administration to act with judiciousness without jumping to hurried conclusions and without appearing to be taking sides. Singh said in a fortnight marked by the fervour of two most important religious festivals of Eid-ul-Zuha and Divali falling within a few days of each other, nothing could have been more unfortunate than to witness such a volatile situation. Singh further cautioned that whatever be the grievance, it can by no means justify resorting to anti-India activism. He made a special appeal to the youth in particular not to get provoked by certain elements, which are always keen to create a communal wedge for their vested interests. He accused the National Conference-led government for sending out a dangerous signal that there was a premium on anti-India activism and therefore it had become a trend that at the slightest instance, anti-national slogans and statements begin to appear which was never tolerated in any other sovereign republic anywhere in
the world. In the past few months, there have been several such instances, including the recent in RS Pura, where anti-India slogans were raised in a college hostel following a cricket match between India and Pakistan, he said adding that even the Police Lines premises in Kathua
had witnessed similar anti-India slogans a few months back. |
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Governor calls for revival of J&K’s pluralistic tradition
Jammu, October 30 After releasing a DVD documentary on Mata Ruph Bhawani at a function organised by the Kashmiriyat Preservation Foundation at the India International Centre in New Delhi this evening, the Governor observed that Jammu and Kashmir with its glorious pluralistic traditions and secular ethos had remained an abode of peace, communal harmony and amity for centuries. He emphasised on the importance of reviving and strengthening the spirit and traditions of Kashmiriyat. He said the unfortunate phase of militancy in J&K resulted in not only causing tremendous loss of life and property, but in also damaging the glorious traditions of Kashmiriyat. He added that a large number of people forced by threatening circumstances had to leave their hearths and homes and migrate to the various parts of the country. He said there was an urgent need for all stakeholders to make collective efforts to revive the glorious pluralistic ethos of the state. In this connection, he referred to the laudable work being done by the Kashmiriyat Preservation Foundation to revive and strengthen the invaluable traditions of Kashmiriyat and enlarging awareness of the younger generation by organising varied cultural events and other programmes in New Delhi and elsewhere. He complimented all those associated with the foundation for taking this initiative and hoped that many other organisations would emulate the excellent work being done by this organisation. Referring to the DVD that has details of the various temples of Mata Ruph Bhawani situated at different places in the Kashmir Valley, the Governor observed that it was a laudable initiative for which Anjali Kaul deserves compliments. |
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Normalcy returns to Kishtwar
Jammu, October 30 Though members of a majority community continue to hold protest, but surcharged atmosphere has now pacified after the intervention of the local leaders and the district administration. A local maulvi and two government teachers were yesterday arrested for inciting communal feelings. |
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New Delhi, October 30
Jammu, October 30
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