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Governor
for upgrading standards of teaching, research in varsities
Tosa Maidan firing range row |
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Army Chief takes relook at security
As weather improves in Valley, residents take to gardening
PDP out to cut into NC-Cong votes: Omar
Rajnath to address rally in Udhampur on Apr 15
Record polling: Social media played vital role in bringing youth to booths in Jammu
Separatists hold poll-boycott rallies
Poll boycott will mean voting for NC: Karra
2 months on, police yet to submit report on CCTVs in malls
BJP leader’s car taken away at gunpoint in Pulwama
Doda youth flock to rally to see Rahul
High voter turnout makes it difficult to pick a clear favourite
LAHDC non-committal over support to Cong candidate
PDP’s Karra richest contestant from Srinagar segment
Governor releases ‘Lal Chowk’, ‘Rameshwari Nehru’
Dr Trag calls on Governor
Bollywood directors, producers to attend spring fest in Valley
Musical programme held on 110th birth anniversary of KL Saigal
Baisakhi celebrated at Bal Niketan
JKTDC union expresses condolences with Kitchloo on mother’s death
3 suspended for felling
trees
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Governor for upgrading standards of teaching, research in varsities
Jammu, April 11 He pointed out the need for implementing all required measures to increase the gross enrolment ratio and, side by side, to reduce the dropout ratio, especially of the students belonging to the economically weaker sections living in the remote areas of the state. He said this while chairing the second meeting of the Court of the Central University of Jammu at Raj Bhavan today. While presenting an overview of the activities of the Central University of Jammu, Dr Sudhir Bloeria, Vice Chancellor, informed the court that the process of land acquisition at Bagla village in Samba district had been almost completed and till date out of the allotted approximately 4,881 kanals of land, 4,746 kanals were in the possession of the university. He presented details of the work for the construction of the first phase of the campus, which is proceeding satisfactorily. The Chancellor urged the VC to consider fencing the university land and to accord high priority to the construction of girls' hostels on the campus. The court took note of the progress reported by the Vice Chancellor in regard to the filling of faculty posts and complimented the VC for the processes initiated by him for the recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff at the university. The VC said the process of admissions to the science stream courses would commence when the process for setting up of laboratories and related infrastructure would be about to be completed. He informed the court that the first batch of postgraduate students in the disciplines of English, comparative literature, economics, applied mathematics and MEd had passed out last year. He also apprised the court about the initiative taken to commence faculty lecture series in which assistant professors from all departments made presentations to the entire faculty on the work being done by them and this was followed by an interactive session. The court approved the budget estimates for the year 2014-15 and the revised estimates for the year 2013-14 of the university. The meeting was attended by Naseem Ahmed, Chairman, National Commission for Minorities, BS Baswan, former Secretary (Higher Education), Government of India, Prof Abdul Wahid, former Vice Chancellor, Central University of Kashmir, Prof Rajeev Gupta, Pro VC, Central University, Jammu, Dr Ram Vishawakarma, Director, Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Prof MK Surappa, Director, Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar, Prof SC Saxena, Vice Chancellor, Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Prof Bharti Baveja, Dean, Faculty of Education, Prof Champa Sharma, founder Head of the PG Department of Dogri, Dr Shrikant Paranjpe, Department of Defence and Strategic Studies, Prof Sikander Farooq, Prof Jigar Mohammad, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Jammu University, Prof Harjeet Sehgal, former Chairman, Department of Zoology, Punjab Agricultural University, Kashmiri Lal Zakir and Jit Singh, Registrar, Central University of Jammu. |
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Tosa Maidan firing range row
Srinagar, April 11 In a statement issued here, the Bar has also urged the people of Kashmir to boycott the forthcoming parliamentary elections, adding that these elections are “in no way a substitute for the right of self-determination”. On Thursday, while calling for a complete shutdown on Saturday against any attempt of the government to extend the lease of the Tosa Maidan field firing range in central Kashmir’s Budgam district, Mirwaiz had also threatened to hold a “people’s march” to the firing range and a “sustained agitation for demilitarisation” of populated areas of Kashmir, if the government extended the Tosa Maidan lease to the Army. “The J&K High Court Bar Association extends its support to the shutdown call in protest against the extension in lease of the Tosa Maidan land,” Bar General Secretary M Ashraf Bhat said in a statement. The lease of the firing range expires on April 18 and villagers surrounding the area have been opposing its extension. They have also been demanding shifting of the firing range from Tosa Maidan. He said the Bar reiterated its stand on demilitarisation of the state. “The Bar impresses upon the international community to put pressure on India by asking it to respect the commitments made by it to the people of Kashmir and at international forums,” he said. Urging the people of Kashmir not to vote in the parliamentary elections, the Bar association said, “Elections cannot substitute the right to self-determination. We want to remind people that holding of elections in J&K in the presence of more than a million armed forces is violation of the UN resolutions.” |
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Army Chief takes relook at security
Jammu, April 11 “General Singh discussed the summer strategy and deployment of troops all along the Line of Control (LoC) vis-à-vis intrusion bids, militancy and situation in the hinterland with the GOC-in-C, Northern Command, Lt Gen Sanjiv Chachra,” said a top Army source. The Army Chief was also briefed about the latest developments on terror infrastructure in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, including launching pads close to the LoC, he added. The terror attacks in Kathua district on March 28 and in Kupwara district on April 8 also came up for discussion, said the source. The source said that General Singh arrived around 3.30 pm at the Northern Command headquarters, where he was received by Lt General Chachra and other senior officers. “There is no visit to the forward area in the itinerary of the Army Chief and he will return to Delhi tomorrow afternoon,” he said. Lt General Chachra is attaining superannuation on May 31. A Defence Ministry spokesperson stated that besides the security scenario, Lt General Chachra also briefed the Army Chief on relief operations undertaken by the Army during the recent onslaught of snow in remote areas of the Valley. “The visit of the Army Chief is in the backdrop of several successful counter-terrorist operations conducted in the Command theatre in the past few months,” he said. The Army Chief also interacted with other senior commanders and discussed issues pertaining to the welfare of troops and ex-servicemen, he added General Singh commended all ranks for the recent operational successes and the high state of operational preparedness. He also complimented the officers and men of Dhruva Command for extending humanitarian assistance to people, said the spokesperson. On July 25 last year, the US Army Chief, General Raymond T Odierno, had also visited the Northern Command headquarters and discussed strategic issues, including Af-Pak situation and increased Chinese activity along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, with Lt General Chachra. |
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As weather improves in Valley, residents take to gardening
Srinagar, April 11 “Due to bad weather, people couldn’t plant many other varieties last month. However, saplings of red maple and camalia, which is a shrub variety, are still selling like hot cakes,” said Abdul Rasheed Dar, owner of Dar Flower Shop at Abiguzar area. His shop is among the most frequented in spring as gardening remains the favourite pastime of locals this season. While frequent wet spells in the winter and spring seasons had caused damage to fruits and crops, inclement weather had also hit kitchen gardening. Now, with improvement in weather, people have again started gardening with vigour. Dar said organic farming methods too were getting popular these days. He said people had become aware of the side effects of using chemical pesticides after easy access to internet and cable television. Instead of chemicals, he said many customers now preferred to buy organic spray oil from his shop. A large number of people can also be seen buying seeds and saplings from roadside vendors on the Residency road. “We used to do brisk business in spring time, but this year frequent rain played a spoilsport. However, as the weather has improved for the past three days, they are making the most of the plantation season,” said Fayaz Ahmad, a vendor. “We are hoping that weather remains dry for the remaining part of spring so that we make up for the losses,” he added. The plantation period in the Valley traditionally starts on Navroz, Persian New Year, on March 21. The Forest Department plans to plant 13 lakh saplings across the Valley this spring. |
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PDP out to cut into NC-Cong votes: Omar
Doda, April 11 “The PDP know their candidates can’t win, but they are contesting to cut the National Conference-Congress vote,” Omar said while addressing an election rally here today. The Chief Minister, who was accompanying Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi to Doda, added: “The pen and ink-pot (party symbol of the PDP) people know they can’t win, but they have fielded their representatives to divide votes so that candidates with the lotus symbol (the BJP) can win and Narendra Modi is made the Prime Minister.” Omar said parties which want to win by polarising people would not be able to work for the benefit of common masses. “When people get divided, developmental work suffers,” he said while recalling the effect of riots in Kishtwar on the development of the area. “When situation deteriorated in Kishtwar, the work stopped. The 2008 unrest in Jammu and 2010 unrest in Kashmir are glaring examples,” Omar said and urged people to vote for a person who can bring society together. Launching a scathing attack on Narendra Modi, the NC leader asked: “Have your ever seen the BJP prime ministerial candidate standing with anyone? He always stands alone and says ‘iss baar meri sarkar (this time my government)’ as if others are non existent.” Pitching Rahul for the top post, Omar said the Gandhi scion believes in “we” and not “I”. “If we want to progress, we have to bring people together. The leader who can bring the people along is Rahul Gandhi. He doesn’t say I, but we,” the Chief Minister said. Earlier, Rahul was accorded a warm welcome and Congress leader and Minister for Roads and Buildings presented him a traditional Kashmiri (Karakuli) cap. “Rahul respected the sentiments and accepted the cap. But that person (Modi) is not ready to wear a skull cap of a particular religion. How is it possible that he will respect my sentiments,” Omar questioned. Pointing out at the statements made by the BJP leader and Modi’s close aide Amit Shah, the NC working president said: “Those who talk of revenge and war will not succeed.” He, meanwhile, urged people to vote for the coalition candidate and Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. |
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Rajnath to address rally in Udhampur on Apr 15
Jammu, April 11 The party also said the Congress and the National Conference leaders contesting elections were getting frustrated. “After record polling in the first phase, the morale of BJP activists is high while the Congress and NC are frustrated. The frustration in the NC and the Congress is visible in Anantnag, where the BJP candidate has been attacked,” Avinash Rai Khanna, Member of Parliament and J&K Prabhari (in charge) said while chairing a meeting of party leaders and workers here. The meeting was convened to chalk out a strategy for the party’s victory in the Udhampur-Doda parliamentary constituency, which will go to the polls on April 17. Khanna said the BJP would win the Jammu seat comfortably and replicate its Jammu performance in the Udhampur-Doda constituency. |
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Record polling: Social media played vital role in bringing youth to booths in Jammu
Jammu, April 11 Social media like Facebook, Whatsapp and Twitter, which has become a fastest way of spreading information, contributed a lot in increasing the poll percentage. Sugandhi Goel, 22, a first-time voter in the city, said, “I was not much aware of politics and politicians, but the news feeds on my Facebook page helped me a lot to decide for whom we should vote.” “It has also inspired us to cast our votes as it is our right as well as an import part of the democracy,” she added. Inspired by the mood of polling in the city on Thursday, Sunehan Gupta, an eight-year-old girl, visited a polling station in Jammu Cantonment, with her parents and requested the polling officer to allow her to cast vote. “I also wanted to vote, but as I am under 18 I cannot!” she said with a cute disappointment on her face. She later gets happy when the polling officer obliged her by putting an ink mark on her finger. The youth, who are always glued to social media with their mobile phones and tabs, were seen more enthusiastic to cast their votes and according to the experts, the presence of youth in the polling station was more this time as compare to the earlier Lok Sabha elections. “We voted for a change this time. I always get updates through Facebook and Twitter, as the tweets of the politicians of different political parties and the conversation of general masses on Tweeter start a debate sometime, which help us to understand the psyche and work style of politicians,” said Pankaj Saroch. “I think in this elections, the social media has played a vital role in bringing the people to the polling stations, especially the elite class of the society, who always criticise the government, but never comes out to cast their votes,” he added. People said the scams and corruption issue were also widely discussed on these social media sites, which educated and make the common people aware of the functioning of the government. |
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Separatists hold poll-boycott rallies
Srinagar, April 11 While as Sehrai addressed an election boycott rally at Lawaypora on the city outskirts, General Secretary of the hardline Hurriyat Conference Ghulam Nabi Sumjhi addressed a rally at Reeni Poar at Anantnag in south Kashmir. These leaders urged the people to boycott the elections. “During these rallies, these Hurriyat leaders urged the people to stay away from polls and termed the elections a drama,” a spokesman for the hardline Hurriyat said in a statement here. “Though the Pro-India parties in Kashmir seek vote for water, electricity and roads, these elections are used by India to hoodwink the international community on Kashmir issue,” he quoted them as having said. During these election rallies, these Hurriyat leaders criticised both the National Conference and the PDP for their “divisive policies and for sabotaging the Kashmir cause”, he said. Meanwhile, leaders of breakaway Hurriyat Conference Jammu Kashmir Shabir Shah, Nayeem Khan and Mushtaq-ul-Islam today address a rally at Ompora, Budgam, on the Srinagar outskirts, urging the people to stay away from the polls. Meanwhile, in his Friday sermon, Moderate Hurriyat chief Mirwaiz Umar Farooq while calling for boycotting the elections urged the people to make Saturday shutdown call a success. Reiterating his demand not to extend the lease of Tosa Maidan firing range, Mirwaiz also called for “complete demilitarisation” of Kashmir. “We will oppose any attempt to extend the Tosa Maidan lease. But at the same time, our demand for complete withdrawal of troops from Kashmir stands,” Mirwaiz said while addressing a gathering in Jama Mosque, wherein he termed the elections as “a meaningless exercise, which has changed nothing on ground in Kashmir since 1947”. |
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Poll boycott will mean voting for NC: Karra
Srinagar, April 11 “The NC has time and again back-stabbed the people of Kashmir and has nothing to show by way of performance. Therefore, they are exclusively counting on boycott to continue to stay in power,” Karra said while addressing public meetings in Ganderbal district. Karra, who is the PDP candidate from Srinagar, claimed that though separatists had right to call for boycott of elections, they equally had to think whether it helped the cause of the ordinary people or not, who had got trampled, exploited under the cruel politics of the National Conference over the years. “The people of Kashmir, who have suffered immensely over the last many decades because of the NC leadership, too deserve a system which shall take care of them in the most humane manner without letting the blood to flow down the drains. All that requires is that we shall look at the ground realities and understand the pain of people, who want to get rid of the NC to pave way for a broader discourse about governance and politics to emerge from here,” he added. — TNS |
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2 months on, police yet to submit report on CCTVs in malls
Srinagar, April 11 The authorities concerned in February had given a deadline to all shopping malls in the city to install CCTV cameras and had asked the police stations concerned to submit the report. In February, the authorities had given a 15-day deadline to shopping mall owners in the city to install CCTV cameras. The directions had come after incidents of burglary were reported from the offices of three national media channels located in a hotel in January. The city authorities had asked the shopping mall owners to install CCTV cameras on the mall premises to ensure public safety. The trend of shopping malls has increased in the city in the past few years. At least, a dozen private malls have come in the city, besides the Srinagar Development Authority's shopping mall at Sangarmal, but most of them have no parking facilities at a time when there are already major traffic issues in the city. Srinagar DC Farooq Ahmad Shah said the police stations concerned were asked to submit a report to the government to check if the mall owners had implemented the orders but no report had been submitted so far. "We can take action against such malls only once we receive reports," the official said. |
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BJP leader’s car taken away at gunpoint in Pulwama
Srinagar, April 11 While the police recovered the BJP leader's Santro car this morning, they have registered a case and investigations are on. Gulzar Ahmed, BJP district president, Pulwama, said he was travelling in his car and was stopped by two men at 9 pm on Thursday at Gangoo village, 28 km from here, on the Pulwama-Anantnag road. “One of them was carrying a gun and they asked me to drive towards Ratanipora and after travelling for nearly 2 km, they directed me to stop near an ATM. They asked me to withdraw Rs 2,000 from the ATM,” Gulzar told the police. “I rushed to the ATM and when I noticed that they were reading party posters that were inside the car, I rushed towards the nearby paddy fields and called the police for help,” he added. Gulzar said he was not sure that whether he was stopped by those people knowing that he was associated with the BJP. Later, the police recovered the vehicle today morning near the spot where Gulzar had abandoned it. “We are investigating, but it is sure that the gunmen did not know that Gulzar was associated with any political party,” Tejinder Singh, SP, Pulwama, said. (With inputs from Farooz Ahmad Bhat in Pulwama) |
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Doda youth flock to rally to see Rahul
Doda, April 11 A local resident, Salim Malik, said, "We are happy that Rahul has come here. We have a lot of hope from him. He will definitely do something for the unemployed youth of the state. A lot of youth has come here to listen to him, but owing to the bad weather conditions, many could not make it to the venue." Malik had come early in the morning to get the front row to hear Rahul. A large number of Congress workers came from different parts and remote areas of the erstwhile Doda district, Ramban, Kishtwar and many other places and waited eagerly to see and listen to the Congress vice-president. The sports stadium of Doda was packed to capacity and the youth present gave a patient hearing to their young leader. Abdul Saleem, a local, said, "We are fortunate enough that Gandhi visited Doda. Last time, he could not make here due to bad weather." |
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High voter turnout makes it difficult to pick a clear favourite
Jammu, April 11 It was for the first time in the political history of the state that the Jammu-Poonch constituency, comprising 20 Assembly segments, witnessed more than 70 per cent voter turnout on Thursday. In 2009 Lok Sabha elections, 49.71 per cent of the total electorate had exercised their right, but this time around 70.07 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the segment. There is a triangular contest for the seat, with the Congress, the BJP and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) locked in an intense battle. Post-polling, candidates from all the three major parties exuded confidence of winning the seat. But a higher voter turnout has made them jittery. Congress leader Madan Lal Sharma, who is seeking a third successive term from the segment, claimed that his party would comfortably win the seat. “Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha seat is a Congress bastion. The party will sail through comfortably,” Sharma said. However, buoyed by the huge turnout, BJP candidate Jugal Kishore Sharma said the party would wrest the seat from the Congress. “Everything is crystal clear. The heavy turnout, especially the youth and women, is a clear indication that the BJP is going to win the seat with a huge margin,” Jugal said. He claimed like other parts of the country there was a strong “Modi wave” in the region also. Peoples Democratic Party’s Yash Pal Sharma was also optimistic of his chances. “We will get major portion of the vote cast in the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri. We will also get a big share in Jammu and Samba districts so our chances are very bright,” the Peoples Democratic Party leader said. While the Peoples Democratic Party is pinning hope on the voting in the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri, the BJP and the Congress are fighting to get a major share of votes in the plains. As per the data prepared by the authorities on the first hand information from the polling officers, most of the Assembly segments of Jammu and Samba districts have registered more than 70 per cent polling. The Akhnoor Assembly segment, which is home to sitting Congress MP Madan Lal Sharma, registered an unprecedented 79.62 per cent voting, while Nagrota, the home constituency of BJP candidate registered 75 per cent polling. Similarly, Poonch-Haveli which is the home constituency of Peoples Democratic Party candidate Yash Pal Sharma recorded 71 per cent voting. According to official data, the Jammu-Poonch segment registered 53.42 per cent voting in 1967 polls. The highest turnout was, however, witnessed in the year 1984 when 66.04 per cent voters had turned up to franchise. Pertinently, the Lok Sabha elections were held for the first time in J&K in 1967. Prior to that, candidates were either elected unopposed or nominated to Parliament. |
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LAHDC non-committal over support to Cong candidate
Jammu, April 11 Ladakh, comprising Kargil and Leh districts, is governed by two different hill development councils — the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Kargil, and the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh. Currently, both the councils are headed by Chief Executive Councillors from the Congress party. In LAHDC, Kargil, the Congress is in alliance with the National Conference and is being headed by Asgar Ali Karbalai, while the Chief Executive Councillor is Rigzin Spalbar. Ladakh Lok Sabha seat comprises of four Assembly segments — Nobra, Leh, Kargil and Zanskar. Kargil is mostly inhabited by Shia Muslims, while Zanskar is dominated by Buddhists. In Leh district, the biggest ethnic group is that of Buddhists. The community forms around 75 per cent of the population followed by Muslims and Hindus. There is a great divide between Buddhists and Muslims in the Ladakh region. “We have not taken any decision (regarding support to party candidate Tsering Samphel). Our Committee (a local body) will hold a meeting and decide on whom we should support,” Karbalai told The Tribune over phone from Kargil. Asked whether they were deciding to field their own candidate for the Ladakh Lok Sabha seat, Karbalai said the final decision would be taken only after the Committee meets. He remained non-committal over the support to Congress candidate Tsering Samphel. Samphel, who has served as district president of the Pradesh Congress Committee, Leh, for 16 years, is a common candidate of the Congress-National Conference coalition. The Congress has been claiming that it would win Ladakh Lok Sabha seat quite comfortably, but sources said the party unit in Kargil was not happy with the nomination of Samphel, a Buddhist. “The Congress leaders in Kargil have been lobbying against Samphel and it has put the party on the back foot,” a source said. Sources also said there were serious differences between the National Conference and the Congress in the LAHDC, Kargil, following no confidence motion moved by National Conference councillors against the Congress last month. Poll equation in Ladakh Ladakh Lok Sabha seat comprises of four Assembly segments — Nobra, Leh, Kargil and Zanskar. Kargil is mostly inhabited by Shia Muslims, while Zanskar is dominated by Buddhists. In Leh district, the biggest ethnic group is that of Buddhists. The community forms around 75 per cent of the population followed by Muslims and Hindus. |
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PDP’s Karra richest contestant from Srinagar segment
Srinagar, April 11 According to the assets declared by the 15 candidates, who are in the fray for the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat, Karra owns property worth Rs 100 crore, almost 10 times more than the sitting Member of Parliament and Union Minister Farooq Abdullah. The 59-year-old, known as the face of the PDP in Srinagar, owns immovable property worth Rs 98 crore, which includes 130 kanals of agricultural land in Shivpora locality of the city. Karra has mentioned in the affidavit that he has movable assets worth Rs 13,29,110, including 10 grams of gold worth Rs 30,000, gems worth Rs 3 lakh and a jeep (Mahindra Scorpio) worth Rs 7.4 lakh. His spouse Arifa Tariq Karra has movable assets worth Rs 19,66, 177. Karra’s rival Abdullah, has total assets worth over Rs 13.10 crore. Farooq, who is seeking re-election from Srinagar, has been a two-time Lok Sabha member and two-time Rajya Sabha member. He was also elected five times to the Legislative Assembly. The National Conference president, according to the affidavit, has immovable assets worth Rs 11.60 crore and movable assets worth Rs 1.50 crore. The Union Minister has, however, not mentioned the assets of his wife in the affidavit. |
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Governor releases ‘Lal Chowk’, ‘Rameshwari Nehru’
Jammu, April 11 “Lal Chowk”, an Urdu novel, reflects the nostalgic reminiscences of the author about his childhood and youth spent in the Lal Chowk at Srinagar. “Rameshwari Nehru”, a biography in English, is the first in the series on “Women of Substance” being published by the National Book Trust to salute women who worked for the emancipation and empowerment of their gender. In his brief observations on the occasion, the Governor congratulated Zakir for continuing to write even though he is over 95 years. Noting that “Lal Chowk” was the 138th literary work of Zakir, the Governor regretted that the author, a subject of J&K and senior most living author in Urdu in the entire sub-continent, had still to be recognised by the state for his most outstanding contributions in the advancement of the Urdu language and literature. Naseem Ahmed, chairman, National Commission for Minorities, also paid rich tributes to Zakir’s excellent contribution to literature. The Governor also appreciated the work being done by Prof Kamlesh Mohan and wished her success in her literary endeavours. The event was attended by Dr Sudhir Bloeria, Vice Chancellor, Central University; Balwant Thakur, director, Natrang; and Ved Bhasin, chairman of ‘The Kashmir Times’. |
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Dr Trag calls on Governor
Jammu, April 11 The Vice Chancellor discussed the ongoing academic and infrastructure development activities in the university with the Governor. The Governor shared with him some of his concerns about the need to take urgent measures for progressively upgrading the standards of teaching and research in all institutions of higher education in the state. |
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Bollywood directors, producers to attend spring fest in Valley
Srinagar, April 11 The department is playing host to around four dozen people related to Bollywood and the TV industry. These actors, directors, producers and writers have been invited to attend a three-day ‘Spring Festival’ which starts from Saturday. They will be taken sightseeing so that they can plan filming in the Valley. “Bollywood can promote Kashmir tourism in a big way. We will show them locations where they can shoot. They can get better locations than Europe here,” said MH Mir, Joint Director, Tourism. The list includes directors Imtiaz Ali, Mukesh Bhatt and Umesh Mehra and producers from the UTV Production, Dharma Productions and Yashraj Films. A few TV and film actors are also on the list and are expected to arrive this weekend. As film crews are making a comeback to the Valley, the authorities want to see cameras rolling just like they did in the pre-militancy era. They feel showing Kashmir in the movies will promote tourism in a big way. Last year in November, the Tourism Department had invited country’s famous Urdu poets to promote Kashmir tourism in the country and abroad. Besides organising a mushaira, the poets were taken sightseeing, especially to ski resort Gulmarg. Tourism Minister GA Mir had then said: “The government was hopeful that it (sightseeing) would propel them to capture Kashmir in their poetry that is rendered in mushairas globally and thus encourage tourists to visit the Valley.” The J&K Government has held tourism festivals and adventure sports for the development of tourism. The ‘Spring Festival’ will also have a series of programmes for tourists. An official of the Tourism Department said the attractions included ‘Splash of the Dal’, water acrobatics and kayaking shikara race. |
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Musical programme held on 110th birth anniversary of KL Saigal
Jammu, April 11 General secretary of the academy, Meenakshi Sharma threw light on the life of Saigal. Saigal was born in Jammu on April 11, 1904. She said in a carrier of 15 years, Saigal sang 185 songs, which included 142 film and 43 non-film songs. Meenakshi said Saigal’s distinctive singing voice was idolised by the first generation of post-Independence Hindi playback singers, including Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi, Mukesh and Kishore Kumar. Saigal also known as the first Indian Bollywood singer and hero. Kuldeep Kumar, a noted singer and students of Aarohi Kala Sangeet Vidhalya, presented popular songs “Jab dil hi toot gaya” and “Tere dwaare khada bhagwan”, which were highly applauded by the audience. Hitesh Badyal, president, Nirvana Academy, said the Nirvana Academy has been organising musical programmes to pay tribute to legendary singers of the state and national eminence for the last three years. The club should promote the music of KL Saigal among the young generation and also organised more programmes to promote his legacy, Badyal added.
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Baisakhi celebrated at Bal Niketan
Jammu, April 11 On the occasion, Joint Director, Information, Smita Sethi was the chief guest, while president, Bal Niketan Ved Mandir, Capt Parshotam Sharma presided over the function. Secretary, Bal Niketan, Ved Mandir MM Mengi, Assistant Director, Information, Vivek Phonsa, Cultural Officer, Information Department, Raman Joshi, besides other members of Bal Niketan Ved Mandir, including students in large numbers, witnessed the cultural programme. The artistes of the cultural wing of the Information Department who presented colourful Dogri, Punjabi and Pahari cultural items were Jeevan Sharma, Vijay Anand, Surjit Singh Sumbaria, Sunil Sharma, Sonali Dogra, Zulikha Frid, Kamal Kumar, Bodh Raj, Bunty Kumar and Lucky. |
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JKTDC union expresses condolences with Kitchloo on mother’s death
Jammu, April 11 The union organised a meeting on Friday to express condolences. A two-minute silence was observed and prayers were offered for the peace of the departed soul. Those who were present on the occasion included union president Dalbir Singh, general secretary Satpal Singh, chief spokesperson Karam Chand, Nanak Chand, Raj kumar and chairman Lal Singh. |
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3 suspended for felling
trees
Kupwara, April 11 The fallen timber amounted to Rs 1,50,000, a forest official said. “The officials in connivance with a contractor cut down the trees in Putshai,” said Divisional Forest Officer, Kupwara, Riyaz Ahmad Masoodi. — OC
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Srinagar, April 11
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Srinagar, April 11
Doda, April 11
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