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‘File report on malnutrition among pregnant women’
Sakshar Bharat Mission comes a cropper in Baramulla
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‘Shortage of prey, encroachment behind man-animal conflict’
Valley continues to shiver; weather to remain dry
Kashmir’s Grand Mufti seeks death for Delhi gang rape culprits
Probe disappearance case of Dalgate resident: High Court
Panchayat empowerment issues discussed
2,286 students appear for UGC NET at KU
Entrance test for M.Ed admissions likely
CRPF organises musical contest
Centurion Rahul steers SCC to victory
MCC win Christmas tournament
Two die, nine injured in road mishaps
Cultural officer Shaheena Khan bereaved
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‘File report on malnutrition among pregnant women’
Srinagar, December 24 These directions were issued by a Division Bench of the court comprising Justice JP Singh and Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar today. The bench said this while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed in the wake of infant deaths at the GB Pant Children Hospital early this year. In November, the Medical superintendent of GB Pant Hospital had submitted that infection in mothers’ womb and their malnutrition were the factors responsible for neonatal deaths at the hospital. The bench had directed the Director, Health Services, Kashmir, and Director, National Health Rural Mission, to file separate comprehensive reports about the steps taken to arrest the vulnerability of women to infections causing neonatal mortality. The double bench had found the status report filed by the Director, Health Services and Director, National Health Rural Mission unsatisfactory. “What schemes you are running for addressing malnutrition among pregnant women, especially in the rural areas,” Justice JP Singh observed. “Every mother cannot come to Srinagar-based hospitals for delivering their children. What about the women who reside in the rural areas of Kashmir?” Justice Singh was quoted as saying. Singh asked the NRHM Director if there was any specific scheme for this purpose in the state. The health authorities had submitted that the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) was being run by the Social Welfare Department in rural areas of Kashmir for over a decade. Medical Superintendent, GB Pant Hospital, Dr Muneer Masoodi, expressed serious apprehensions over the implementation of ICDS scheme. “I doubt that the scheme is being implemented in its letter and spirit under the ICDS. This has become an industry now,” Dr Masoodi told the court. The Bench directed NRHM Director to file a detailed report on types of malnutrition among women in the state, its causes and the schemes, if any, being implemented by the health authorities to address the problem. The case
In November, Medical superintendent of GB Pant Hospital had submitted that infection in mothers’ womb and their malnutrition were the factors responsible for neonatal deaths at the hospital The Bench had directed the Director, Health Services, Kashmir, and Director, National Health Rural Mission, to file separate comprehensive reports about the steps taken to arrest the vulnerability of women to infections causing neonatal mortality The health authorities had submitted that the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) was being run by the Social Welfare Department in rural areas of Kashmir for over a decade Medical Superintendent, GB Pant Hospital, Dr Muneer Masoodi, expressed serious apprehensions over the implementation of ICDS scheme |
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Sakshar Bharat Mission comes a cropper in Baramulla
Baramulla December 24 Funds worth crores of rupees sanctioned by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) from time to time remain unspent by the authorities. The motivators engaged under the programme in Baramulla district have not been paid their salaries from May onwards, sources said. As many as 596 motivators were engaged for the SBM in 365 panchayat halqas while 67 panchayat halqas are yet to be covered under the programme. “The SBM is in a bad shape, especially in Baramulla. Qualified motivators have not been paid their salaries for past several months. In spite of huge funds available with the Department of Education, the programme is victimized by gross mismanagement of the authorities concerned,” sources said. These motivators, most of them graduates and postgraduates, were appointed under the programme for monthly salary of Rs 2,000. The motivators claimed that in spite of the HRD Ministry raising the monthly remuneration of motivators to Rs 5,200, a month, they were being paid only Rs 2,000. The disgruntled motivators said they had not been paid salaries for many months together. “In spite of the HRD Ministry’s guidelines fixing salary of a motivator at Rs 5,200, we are being paid just Rs 2,000 for a month. Since May this year, the authorities have not released our salaries,” said a motivator. The motivators said that teaching and learning material had not been provided to them for the past one year and they were managing material on their own. “Our future is at stake. We were motivated to work earlier for more than five years under the Total Literacy Campaign (TLC) without any remuneration despite funds worth crores of rupees sanctioned by the government. Now nobody is talking about our regularisation either,” rued a motivator. They appealed to the government to devise a strategy for their regularisation. “We appeal to the government to regularise our services and also fulfill other genuine demands,” they said. |
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‘Shortage of prey, encroachment behind man-animal conflict’
Srinagar, December 24 “The main reasons behind leopards sneaking into residential areas are encroachments into the forest areas and grazing of cattle by Bakerwals,” said Mansoor Nabi Sofi, a Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) official. Saying that bears usually start hibernating during winter months after snowfall, Sofi said the shortage or prey for wild animals was also a reason behind leopards entering residential areas. “If an animal gets a proper diet, it will never leave the forest area. Since there has been a shortage of prey that includes musk deer and wild rodents, the animals follow the Bakerwals who take cattle for grazing in the forests. Animals like leopards attack these cattle and they also live on dead cattle which die of other reasons while grazing in forests,” Sofi said. A leopard had caused panic after sneaking into a residential house on the outskirts of the city last week. Sofi said there were dos and don’ts to be followed. “In case of animal attack, one should inform the police station concerned and make an announcement from a nearby mosque so that people can take precautions,” he said. “However, leopards are difficult to catch as they manage to find a hiding spot even in residential areas. Children have to be extra careful as they are easily dragged by leopards unlike adults,” he added.
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Valley continues to shiver; weather to remain dry
Srinagar, December 24 On the fourth day of Chillai Kalaan, the 40-day-long period of harshest winter spell- which began on Friday last week- Kashmir had a slightly warm night. Mercury around the Srinagar city, the main town in the region, fell to a minimum of 1.2 degree Celsius overnight, an increase of over five degrees from last night when the temperature had plummeted to minus 4.0 degrees Celsius, an official of the state Meteorological Department said. The maximum daytime temperature in the city was recorded at 9.7 degrees Celsius, the official said. The state Meteorological Department said the weather was likely to remain dry in the region for the next 24 hours. The Gulmarg resort in north Kashmir recorded a cold night with mercury falling to a low of minus 5.2 degrees Celsius and at Pahalgam resort in south Kashmir the night temperature fell to minus 2.0 degrees Celsius. Leh town in the remote Ladakh region also recorded the season's coldest night so far with mercury there dropping to 8.2 degrees Celsius while the adjoining Kargil district recorded a low of minus 10.0 degrees Celsius, the official said. The minimum temperature in Ladakh region usually hovers below the freezing point in winter months, falling down to as low as minus 20 degree Celsius at times. The Ladakh region remains cut off from rest of the state for most of the winter as heavy snow along the Srinagar-Leh road shuts access to the mountainous Ladakh. Qazigund, the southern gateway town to Kashmir valley, recorded a minimum of minus 0.2 degrees Celsius while in the frontier Kupwara town in north Kashmir the minimum temperature was recorded at minus 0.5 degrees Celsius.
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Kashmir’s Grand Mufti seeks death for Delhi gang rape culprits
Srinagar, December 24 “Mufti Azam and Chairman, J&K Muslim Personal Law Board, Mufti Mohammad Bashir-Ud-Din Ahmad has strongly condemned the recent gang rape incident in New Delhi which has made everyone concerned,” a spokesman of the Grand Mufti said in a statement issued here. Expressing grief, the spokesman said the Grand Mufti was concerned over the increasing trend of such events in the country. “He has termed the incident an utter failure of the police in curbing such incidents,” the spokesman said. Expressing satisfaction over the statement of the Prime Minister and Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shindey, the spokesman said that Mufti Azam of Jammu and Kashmir felt the accused deserved death sentence. Independent MLA from Langate, Engineer Rashid, has criticised the civil society, media and politicians for adopting “double standards” when it came to such issues. Addressing a public meeting at Lawoosa Handwara, Engineer Rashid said why those people pelting stones on the police and damaging government and public property on the streets of New Delhi and elsewhere were not being treated with a stern hand.
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Protests against water shortage
Anantnag, Deccember 24 Residents claim that the area and the adjoining villages have been kept devoid of water supply and despite their repeated pleas to the authorities concerned nothing has been done so far in this regard. “A water supply scheme worth Rs 2 crore was approved to put an end to water crisis in the area. However, the scheme due to some technical hiccups failed to serve its purpose,” said Mushtaq Ahmad, a local resident. He said the water supply scheme was complete but still no water supply was available at villages. The villages affected due to non-functioning of the scheme are Kreeri, Khanpora, Mahadphal, and Kanlipora. “There was a proposal to lay pipes throughout the area for the better water supply in the region. The pipes were lying unused for some days and then the authorities concerned took them back,” said Muhammad Saleem, a resident. The residents alleged that the authorities concerned are not serious in putting an end to the water woes of the common people. It is reported that many rural areas of Kashmir are facing actue shortage of drinking water. During summer, these areas somehow manage to fetch water from the fresh water springs after treading long distances but the springs dry down in winters, which make it difficult for the local populace. “Our women folk wash their utensils and clothes out there in the open during summers but in winters, we even not have water to drink,” said Nazir Ahmad, a resident of Kandipora area in Bijbehara. |
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Probe disappearance case of Dalgate resident: High Court
Srinagar, December 24 After hearing the arguments, Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar directed the Principal and Session District Judge, Srinagar, to conduct a probe into the case. The District Judge was also directed to submit a report to the high court within two months. The High Court had last month also ordered a judicial probe into disappearance of Firdous Ahmad Bawan who had also went missing on the same day when Beig had disappeared. The police had registered a case but closed the investigations in the two missing cases in 2005. The government in its report had submitted before the court that the two were picked up by unknown gun men in uniform.
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Panchayat empowerment issues discussed
Srinagar, December 24 In a statement, the AJKPC said the delegation led by its chairman Shafiq Mir met Azad yesterday night and discussed various issues related to panchayat members of the state. AJKPC general secretary Anil Sharma claimed that Azad expressed ‘dissatisfaction over the so-called powers delegated to the panchayats in the state and assured them that he wants to see real the Panchayati Raj’. “Azad also got the first hand information from the panchayat leaders about the problems being faced by them at the ground-level,” he said. Pertinently, the AJKPC delegation was in New Delhi to attend a seminar to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 73rd Amendment. “During this national-level event, the AJKPC leaders raised forcefully the issue of the panchayats in Jammu and Kashmir and demanded that all the provisions of the 73rd Amendment should be incorporated in the state Panchayati Raj Act,” Sharma said. The AJKPC members also met with other central leaders to apprise them about the situation vis-à-vis the empowerment of the panchayats in the state. The AJKPC has already announced that it would observed the January 26 as a ‘black day and sit on an indefinite dharna outside Jantar Mantar after the Republic Day if their demands continued to find no favour with the authorities concerned. It demanded extension of the 73rd Amendment in the state, grant of monthly honorarium, security and insurance cover for panchayat members. Congress Committee holds meeting in Kupwara
The Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) today said it will endeavour towards resolving the problems faced by panchayat members on war-footing basis. JKPCC Vice President and MLC Gulam Nabi Monga said this while addressing a meeting of Congress workers, sarpanches and panches at Town Hall, Kupwara in north Kashmir. The Congress is currently holding a series of meetings with the panchayat members across the Valley. Terming the Congress as a people’s party, Monga said the party was ‘not interested in slogan mongering and is deeply interested to extend service to the people’. JKPCC Senior Vice President Mohammad Muzaffar Parray and other Congress leaders, including Mohammad Amin Khan, Aftab Ahmad Beigh, Haji Farooq Mir, Ghulam Mohammad Wani, Raja Farooq and Nazir Ahmad Lone were also present on the occasion. |
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2,286 students appear for UGC NET at KU
Srinagar, December 24 A total of 2,286 candidates of 2,786 enrolled appeared in the test under various disciplines such as life science, mathematics, engineering science, earth science, physical science and chemical sciences. Despite the sub-zero temperatures, 82 per cent candidates took the test which is much higher than the national average of around 70 per cent. KU Vice Chancellor Professor Talat Ahmad, along with Dean Academic Affairs, Dean Research and other officials, visited different centres and appreciated the interest shown by the students who are appearing in large number in such national-level examinations. He emphasised that this would go a long way in generating human resource for higher education and research at both state and national level. More than 11,000 candidates are expected to take UGC-NET on December 30, which will be conducted by the Department of Chemistry.
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Entrance test for M.Ed admissions likely
Srinagar, December 24 Dean Academic Affairs, KU, Prof AM Shah said the Academic Council of KU has drafted a proposal in this regard, which could revive the admission the pattern for M.Ed courses in distance learning mode. "If we are not able to introduce the entrance examination module from this year, it is most likely to be introduced by the next year," Prof Shah said. The university takes in 1,200 students every year for its M.Ed (distance learning) course , on the basis of pass percentage secured in BEd examinations. Aspirants, especially those pursuing their bachelors in the Government College of Education, Srinagar, and Kashmir University have criticised the move. "Since private B.Ed college students are awarded marks without any consideration of rules, they have an edge over us when it comes to getting admission for masters," Ishtiyaq Ahmad, a pass out of Govt College of Education said. Of 500 students who pursue the B.Ed courses at Government College for Education, Srinagar, only 200 students want to pursue masters from the university. "We are aware that the government college college students face problems in getting the admissions. Hence, the pattern would be soon changed," Prof Shah asserted.
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CRPF organises musical contest
Srinagar, December 24 “The musical competition named 'Band War-III' was a grand success. A total of 17 teams participated and five teams reached to the finale of the event. 'Elesion' band won the first prize,” a CRPF spokesman said. CRPF Deputy Inspector General PK Pandey was the chief guest on the occasion. “The Srinagar Sector of CRPF has given musical instruments of worth Rs 2 lakh to the host musical group,” Kumar said. The spokesman said it was an initiative of the CRPF to ensure that youth make positive contribution to the society and bring a positive change in themselves. “It has always been endeavour of the CRPF to bring out the hidden talent of the youths,” he said. |
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Centurion Rahul steers SCC to victory
Jammu, December 24 Winning the toss and elected to bat first, SCC piled up a mammoth total of 190 runs in the stipulated 20 overs losing 5 wickets in the process. Rahul Mani played a magnificent knock of 120 runs off just 45 deliveries. His whirlwind knock contained as many as 10 boundaries and 8 sixes. Dilawar Singh also contributed 28 runs. For Ward No 8, Anil Gupta and Sunil Kumar shared two wickets each while Sandeep chipped in with one wicket. The Ward No 8 Club, in a reply, suffered a batting collapse and the whole team was perished for 77 runs in 18.4 overs. Sham Singh Langeh was the pick of the bowlers for the winning side with a four-wicket haul while Dilawar Singh and Chandan bagged two wickets apiece. The match was officiated by Rajinder Sharma and Sagar Verma as umpires while Abitash maintained the scoreboard.
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MCC win Christmas tournament
Jammu, December 24 The New Hope Christian Union organized the tournament wherein 32 cricket teams drawn from Jammu and Samba districts participated. RS Chib in his address said the government was committed to provide best possible sports facilities to the youth, so that they could compete at national and international level.— TNS |
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Two die, nine injured in road mishaps
Srinagar, December 24 A passenger cab hit an 80-year-old Fatima, a resident of Kripalpora village near Pattan town in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, resulting in her death. The body of the deceased woman has been handed over to her relatives and a case has been registered at a local police station, said the police. Another passenger cab turned turtle near Lawaypora resulting in injuries to eight passengers on the outskirts of Srinagar. All the injured were shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment. One of the injured passengers Kifayat Hussain Bhat of Singhpora village of Baramulla later succumbed to injuries. A passenger vehicle hit a car near Sekidafar Chowk in the city resulting in injuries to a passenger who has been shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment.
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Cultural officer Shaheena Khan bereaved
Srinagar, December 24 Haji Ghulam Muhammad Khan died after a brief illness today.— TNS |
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Kashmir High Court has directed the health authorities to file a detailed report about the types of malnutrition prevalent among pregnant women and newborns in Kashmir. 
Srinagar, December 24
Srinagar, December 24
