Jammu, October 23
As soaring onion prices continue to bring tears to the eyes of the ‘aam aadmi’ in Jammu and Kashmir, agriculture experts have lashed out at the failure of the Department of Agriculture to take “proactive” measures to deal with the crisis.

Experts believe that the government has “miserably failed” to implement the National Mission for Urban Vegetable Clusters in Jammu and Kashmir, besides creating basic facilities for the farmers that resulted in the poor production of onions in the state.

“The government should focus on modern agriculture training on the pattern of Gujarat and other neighbouring states of the country. They should train the farmers on seedling technology, pre and post and harvesting techniques and systematic marketing, so that better results are yielded,” J&K Kisan Council president Tajinder Singh said.

“Till today, the state agriculture department has failed to provide benefits of the National Mission for Urban Vegetable Clusters to the farmers. In Jammu and Kashmir, farmers can cultivate onion in both the rabi and kharif seasons, but they are unable to carry out agricultural activities because of unavailability of facilities, which in turn affects the production,” he said.

The onion prices in the city have touched Rs 80 per kilo and with the impending marriage season the prices are expected to shoot further.

The irony is that the onions are costing even more than a litre of petrol.

The social networking sites are abuzz with jokes and cartoons over the plight of common man due to escalating prices.

Minister for Agriculture Ghulam Hassan Mir sought to downplay the existing onion crisis, saying there was “no problem of onion shortage” in the state.

“We are in the beginning stage of implementing the National Mission for Urban Vegetable Clusters. The implementation has begun on ground. A Government of India sponsored firm has registered nearly 8,000 farmers — 3,000 in Kashmir and 5,000 in Jammu — under the urban vegetable cluster schemes so far,” said Mir.

The skyrocketing prices have even forced the hawkers to stay away from onions.

“Earlier, no dish was prepared without onions. But now, it has become a luxury item. Even eateries have stopped serving onions. This is a reminder as to how inflation is spiralling out of control,” said Jyoti Sangral, a housewife. At the city’s main vegetable market, traders are quite concerned over the rising prices.

“We expect further increase in general prices, as marriage season is going on. It always puts pressure on the demand and supply system in the city,” said Balbir, a trader at the Narwal vegetable market.

“Earlier, consumers used to buy two or three kilos of onion at a time, but now people buy half kg and that too after bargaining for the prices. It has become difficult to sell onions. Restaurants and small eateries have also stopped to buy onions,” said Suresh, a vegetable vendor at Nai Basti.

Jammu, October 23
The Jammu Kashmir Unity Foundation (JKUF) today organised a seminar on “Invasion or Tribal Raid-1947” in connection with Black Day observed on October 22. On that day in 1947, Pakistan attacked the state.

A number of prominent speakers including Balwant Singh Mankotia, president, Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party, and MLA Hukum Chand Sharma, Secretary, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC), Sohail Kazmi, Secretary General, Press Club, Anwar Choudhary, prominent Gujjar leader, Rajiv Chuni, president, SoS, an organisation of PoK refugees, Ajaat Jamwal, convenor, Jammu Kashmir Unity Foundation and Dr Ajay Chrungoo, chairman, Panun Kashmir, spoke on the occasion.

All the speakers were unanimous in the view that October 22, 1947, the day Pakistan invaded Jammu and Kashmir alongwith the tribesmen, was a black day in the state's history.

They said Pakistan lost the war because it did not want the state to become a part of India, while the people of Jammu and Kashmir wanted accession to a secular India.

The speakers said Jammu and Kashmir is the crown of India and a mosaic of plural identities.

“Tribals were used by the Pakistani army as the frontal hordes to hide the nature of regular invasion on Jammu and Kashmir. The day is a black day because this invasion broke up the state and rendered thousands and lakhs of Hindus and Sikhs refugees in their own state," they said.

Jammu, October 23
The flow of credit to Agriculture and allied sectors in the state is dismal. The credit deposit ratio in the case of commercial banks as well as cooperative banks is extremely low. This has been revealed in the state's agriculture policy.

“As opposed to the national benchmark of 18 per cent, the credit exposure to agriculture and allied sectors is estimated at 14 per cent. Despite significant strides made so far in harnessing potential benefits for the farming community, sustainable growth in the agriculture sector cannot be realised unless systemic problems are appropriately identified, effectively tackled and successfully overcome,” the policy said.

“The development strategies, geared towards overcoming the constraints imposed by mountain agriculture, together with formulation of farmer responsive plans, are absolutely essential for long-term growth of agriculture across all geographies in the state," it added.

The agriculture policy stated research at State agriculture universities based on identified agro-climatic zones should be accorded high priority. It added that application of frontier sciences like biotechnology, remote sensing technologies, pre- and post-harvest technologies, energy-saving technologies and technology for environmental protection to face the consequences of climate change on production systems will be encouraged to harness tangible benefits for farmers and stakeholders.

“The database for agriculture and allied sectors will be strengthened to ensure greater reliability of estimates and forecasting, which will help in the process of planning and policy-making. Establishment of Seed Banks will be promoted to meet contingent requirements of seed in the wake of natural calamities. Attention will be given to creating community fodder banks in Ladakh to overcome endemic shortage of fodder in the region," the policy maintained.

The policy also favoured public-private partnership for investment and growth in agriculture, claiming that it would be an essential ingredient of all development strategies for holistic development of agriculture and allied sectors. It added that self-help groups (SHGs), societies, NGOs, charitable organisations etc will be encouraged to be partners in this development strategy.

Jammu, October 23
The Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association (JKHCBA) Jammu today urged the government to respond “adequately and strongly” to counter the “reprehensible and criminal” acts of Pakistan which had been targeting civilians by resorting to unprovoked and continuous shelling at the borders.

“We appeal to the government to strengthen its security grid and initiate immediate steps to extend timely and adequate support to those who have migrated from the borders due to continuous firing and heavy shelling from across the border owing to fear of loss to their person and property,” a JKHCBA spokesperson said after a meeting of office-bearers here.

The meeting, which was presided over by MK Bhardwaj, president, JKHCBA Jammu, appealed to all political parties, organisations, members of the civil society and patriots to stand united in order to safeguard the integrity, honour and pride of the nation and extend their helping hand to those who have been forced to desert their houses, cattle and fields with standing crops.

The participants at the meeting applauded the role of the security forces in giving a befitting reply to the nefarious designs of Pakistani Rangers, who were allegedly bent on creating a war-like situation on the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB) by way of continuous ceasefire violation “with an ulterior motive to pave the way for sneaking in of terrorists and keep the pot of Kashmir issue boiling”.

An incident of stone-pelting in Kashmir valley in which one police personnel succumbed to injuries after being hit by stones thrown by miscreants was also discussed at the meeting.

The association observed two minutes silence to remember the sacrifice of police personnel and BSF jawan who attained martyrdom. Sympathies were extended to the members of the bereaved family and those jawans and civilians who sustained injuries.

Later, a demonstration by members of the association was held while the “cowardly acts” of Pakistan were condemned and slogans were raised.

Ramnagar, October 23
A legal awareness camp was organised here to raise awareness about the rights of the differently abled and their entitlement to free legal services at Panchayat Ghar Dalsar in tehsil Ramnagar.

The camp was organised under the chairmanship of Tehsil Legal Service Committee, Ramnagar, Sub Judge, Sandeep Kaur. A large number of men and women including panches and sarpanches of the area participated in the camp.

Advocates ML Gupta and Harjeet Kumar and sarpanch Raj Kumar delivered lectures on the occasion.

Jammu, October 23
to stop the influx of adulterated milk in the temple city, Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) will deploy teams of Food Safety Officers at entry points from where milk vendors enter the city. This has been decided as one of the steps towards checking the quality of the milk before it reaches the consumers. The corporation has also given its telephone numbers, 2571308, 18001807034 (toll free) for any complaint against the shopkeepers.

It was stated, “It has been decided that shops should use testing machines to ascertain the purity of milk before selling it. If anyone is found selling milk without checking in accordance with the prescribed norms, he would be penalised and his licence would be cancelled,” said Health Officer Dr Vinod Sharma. Dr Sharma said it had been decided that all shopkeepers should check licences of milk vendors from whom they are purchasing it. "If any shopkeeper is found to have purchased milk not from a licensed vendor, the shopkeeper would be held responsible and will face action,” said a statement.

A team of Food Safety Officers has been instructed to check licences of all milk vendors entering the limits of the Municipal Corporation. They have been told that they should not be allowed in unless they get their licences. They have also been directed to check the quality of milk being supplied by vendors who possess the relevant licences. Adulterated milk, which is injurious to health, would be destroyed, it has been stated. The administration has accepted 25 per cent hike in milk and its products, notification for which will be issued in the next few days. While officials said the administration wants to delay the implementation of new rates list till Diwali, at several places, shopkeepers have started charging the new rates.

Jammu, October 23
Expressing his resentment against inquiry conducted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in August 9 and 10 Kishtwar and Padder riots, senior BJP leader Sunil Sharma said the SIT has lost its credibility as the main culprits were still roaming free, while innocent and poor people were being harassed and lodged in jails.

Sharma, citing the example of Ashish Kumar of Bera Bhata, alleged this youth was framed by the police in a murder case. He said Ashish was in Jammu on the day of violence and added there was sufficient proof to authenticate that he was innocent. He said this was not the only case where the SIT had framed innocents. Omkar Singh, sarpanch of Padder, has been chargesheeted under Section 307 of CrPC though it was known to everybody that during riots in Padder, he was helping the administration and remained with the tehsildar and SHO Padder throughout on August 10. — TNS

Jammu, October 23
Kanav Sharma clinched gold in the U-12 boys, below 30 kg weight category, as the Jammu District Judo Championship concluded at the M A Stadium here today.

Vanshveer Singh clinched silver, while Raman Sharma and Ritik Chib bagged the bronze medals.

In U-12 boys below 35 kg, Shreesh Mansotra and Sahil Kumar bagged gold and silver medal respectively, while the bronze went to Rishab Slathia and Himanshu Sambyal.

Meanwhile, in the below 40 kg category, Shivam and Abhyvir Singh fetched gold and silver medal respectively, while the bronze medal was jointly bagged by Hassan Shafqat and Nikhil.

The U-12 boys’ 45 kg gold went to Azad Chander, while Vasudev Singh won the silver.

Sambhav and Aryan Gupta bagged the bronze medal in the category.

In above 50 kg U-12 boys section, Ritish finished at the top, while Lakhan Baru finished as the runner-up. Aman Choudhary and Nakul claimed the bronze.

Sourabh Sood claimed gold medal in the U-10 boys’ 25 kg category. Udhav Sharma bagged the silver, while Sankeat Khajuria and Rahul Sharma bagged the bronze.

DIG Jammu-Kathua Range Shakeel Ahmed Beig, who was the chief on the occasion, gave away the medals to the triumphant judokas.

Around 300 judokas, drawn from various schools and clubs across the city, participated in the tournament, organised by the J&K Judo Association under the auspices of the J&K State Sports Council.

Some of the participating schools included Shastri Memorial High School, BSF School, Paloura, GD Goenka Public School, Dewan Devi Shool, Rajpura, and Shangrilla Higher Secondary School.

Rameshwar Singh Jamwal was the organising secretary of the tournament and the event was held under the chairmanship of Vikas Gupa, secretary J&K Judo Association.

Jammu, October 23
The PG Department piped reigning champions Government College for Women, Parade, 4-1 to lift the Inter-Collegiate tournament in here today.

Sangita Bhatt, Suman Lata and Anita were star performers from winning side.

Prof Jasbir Singh, Provost Hostel, University of Jammu, was the chief guest on the occasion, while Prof Dhian S Bhau, Director, Directorate of Sports and Physical Education, presided over the function.

Meanwhile, in the men’s section, MAM College got the better of Government Degree College, Paloura, 22-11 to set a title clash with the PG Department, which had the last laugh against SPMR Commerce College (17-10).

All the matches were played under the supervision of Prof Bhau.

The matches were officiated by Sudesh Kumar, Karun Magotra, Jyoti Sharma and Gourav Sharma.

Jammu, October 23
Stadium XI got the better of Academy XI by 9 wickets in the ongoing Colonel RN Chopra Academy Challenge Cup here today.

Bating first, Academy XI was bundled out for paltry 91 runs in 24 overs, courtesy some fine bowling by Yogesh Sikka, Tayyab Farooq and Vivrant, who shared couple of wickets apiece.

Stadium XI batsmen, however, chased the target without breaking a sweat, as they romped home in the 18th over with nine wickets to spare.

Kanahiya Wadhawan and Sanchit Dass remained unbeaten on 34 and 18 respectively.

Sujit Kumar was the only successful bowler for Academy XI.

Yogesh Sikka was declared man of the match.

As many as four teams are participating in the tournament, which is being held under the supervision of Rakesh Basin, Zabeer Ahmad, Sukomal Ganguly and Deepak Dogra. 

Jammu, October 23
Underling the importance of youth in politics, senior Congress leader and Member of Legislative Assembly from Inderwal Ghulam Muhammad Saroori today called on the youngsters to join the political process and play a part in the nation building.

“There is a perception among some sections of people that politics in its present form doesn’t attract educated youth. On the contrary, it is the twin force of politics and legislative affairs that articulate our national priorities and credible strategies to reflect them in our programmes and policies,” Saroori said while addressing youth during a program organised by the National Students Union of India at Kishtwar.

He stressed that youth of Jammu and Kashmir are confident and passionate about bringing about a change in their state and the same passion can be best served in sincere, pro-people politics.

“Politics is no doubt seen with cynicism and skepticism by a lot of educated people, especially in urban areas. However, politics is an indispensable and unparalleled tool to change what we find unacceptable in our society or state,” he said

“We should appreciate that as politics is an effective tool to shape the future of the people, it is necessary to change this perception,” he added.

“Disenchantment among the youth towards politics should be removed as it limits their capacity to contribute purposely in the process of nation building,” he said.

He called upon the youth to join political process, so that their boundless energy could be utilised in growth and prosperity of the nation.

The Congress leader stressed that the youth should make every effort to carry the benefits of democracy to the poor and those who stand at the margins of the society.

Rajouri, October 23
Following grant of a two-year extension as Vice Chancellor by Omar Abdullah, Chief Minister, J&K and Chancellor of Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University, Prof Irshad A Hamal was given a rousing reception by officials, students and locals of Rajouri on the Jammu-Poonch Highway about 20 kilometres from the university from where vehicles escorted the cavalcade of the VC up to the campus where a ceremony was organised under the leadership of Registrar Mohammad Rashid Chowdhary and Special Secretary Suneet Gupta.

Apparently keeping in mind the performance of Prof Irshad A Hamal for the last three years in all sectors, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, in his capacity as Chancellor of the university, granted Prof Hamal a two-year extension.

Prof Hamal, in his address, thanked Omar Abdullah, Chief Minister and Chancellor of the university, for having reposed confidence in him for him to complete the process of consolidation and expansion initiated in the last three years. He emphasised on the need for the three pillars of the university - Teachers, officers and non-teaching staff, to work in coordination for academic excellence and research for betterment of students, scholars and society.