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  • Offline classes start in GMC Doda after students of maiden batch take Hippocratic oath

    Offline classes start in GMC Doda after students of maiden batch take Hippocratic oath

    Regular offline classes were started by Government Medical College Doda after the Hippocratic Oath to the first year medical students.

    The offline classes of 1st yr MBBS started in the Makeshift College Campus Government Medical College Doda.

    The classes started with the administering of Hippocratic oaths to students by Coordinator Medical education Unit.

    The Oath ceremony was followed by an address by the Principal GMC, Dr Tariq Parvez Azad and other senior Faculty members. The students were made aware about their responsibilities. Later on regular class work started in various preclinical departments as per time table.

    A total 100 medical students including 50  females, arrived here from various parts of the state. Out of these 95% of students (barring few locals) opted for hostel facilities as against the MCI limit of 60%. 

  • First ever training program of Ladakhi Sarpanches in Dehradun initiated

    First ever training program of Ladakhi Sarpanches in Dehradun initiated

    The Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, R K Mathur presided over as the chief guest on the occasion of the virtual inaugural session of 5 days training cum exposure visit conducted for Sarpanches of Ladakh in collaboration with Government of Uttarakhand, Department of Panchayati Raj held in Dehradun today.

    On the directions of the Lt. Governor, the UT Administration has arranged for an extensive training/ capacity building cum exposure visit for 168 Sarpanches including 86 from Kargil and 82 from Leh districts in Uttarakhand to study best practices and effective functioning of PRIs. The first batch consisting of 43 Sarpanch, two BDOs and three lady trainees started with their training from today and the second batch of around 40 Sarpanches is scheduled to start their training from February 10.

    Addressing the gathering, the Lt. Governor thanked the Uttarakhand Government for their support in organizing these training programs for the Sarpanches of UT Ladakh and said that such training will fetch good results in future. He said that the PR system is new in Ladakh and with the challenge of Covid-19 pandemic a proper system couldn’t be put in place. He added that with the decrease in Covid-19 cases, Panchayati Raj system shall be made increasingly functional. “Efforts are on to fill the vacancies and staff shortage to ensure smooth functioning of all the offices at the block level,” said the LG.

    The Lt. Governor informed that from the new financial year, in addition to the existing works, the Sarpanches will be given an additional budget. He expressed hope that this training will give them the opportunity to learn and experience things that they can implement on ground once they are back in Ladakh. He stated that the present PR system in Ladakh has been under the J&K Panchayat Act. He stressed on giving training to the Panches and government officials of the Rural Development Department in future.         

    Commissioner Secretary Ajeet Kumar Sahu, Divisional Commissioner Ladakh/ Secretary Rural Development Department, Secretary Panchayati Raj Uttarakhand Hari Chandra Semval were present on the occasion.  

  • All-women crew manages Ladakh’s only LPG Plant, serves Indian soldiers

    All-women crew manages Ladakh’s only LPG Plant, serves Indian soldiers

    Ladakh’s only LPG bottling plant has an all-women crew and employs around 12 women employees. These LPG cylinders are supplied to the Indian Army. These women ensure that 50,000 Indian soldiers facing the freezing temperatures at the international border get sufficient cooked food.

    As snow covers the region and completely blocks off all the connectivity with rest of the country, the Indian Oil plant remains the only source of cooking gas for the Army personnel. About 40 per cent of all the refills which are produced at the plant are used by the army.

    This plant is the country’s only LPG unit which is wholly managed by women. Female members have the responsibility to check the quality of seals from the production line and ensure security. Only the loading tasks which involve heavy lifting are handled by five men.

    Most of the women who manage this plant are in their 20s and 40s. They also have to manage their families along with working at the plant. Tsering Angmo who works there says that she has to wake up early as she also has to ready her son. She has to take the bus for her morning shift which starts at 9 am.

    Sujoy Choudhury, Executive Director at Indian Oil’s Punjab state office applauded the women crew and said that it exemplifies the power of women.

    Rigzin Lado, another crew member, has to travel 35 km to reach the plant. She says that even though she has to face difficulties in commuting but still she likes her job.

    Padma Tsogyal, recalls that early before joining, she was even unaware of how to fix a regulator to a cylinder. Now, she has the responsibility to ensure safety for each refill that is distributed among consumers. She believes that it is her contribution to the nation and the army. Cylinders which are sent to the defence establishment are double-checked to ensure safety.

    Security officer Angmo believes that in general, women are more diligent and careful about safety which makes it “easier” for women employees to make sure that safety parameters are met at the LPG plant.

  • JKAACL holds event to celebrate Republic Day, ignores Dogri poets

    JKAACL holds event to celebrate Republic Day, ignores Dogri poets

    Dogri poets are protesting against the organizers of “Jashn-e-Jamhuriya” for not inviting them for the poetic festival. The Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages (JKAACL) organized this event to celebrate the Republic Day.

    One of the poets said that even though the Dogri language has been recognised as an official language of J&K UT but the language is always sidelined. The event organisers invited many renowned poets of Urdu and Hindi languages to attend the 2-day function held at General Zorawar Singh Auditorium Jammu but they didn’t invite any Dogri poets to be a part of the program.

    Gyaneshwar Sharma, a renowned Dogri poet, said that if the event organisers had invited Dogri poets then it would have been very beneficial for the upliftment of Dogri poetry. As Dogri language has been recognised as an official language of the UT then the government and the organising agencies should make sure that poets of Dogri and other languages of the JK UT are included in the event.

    He also mentioned that Jammu has some exceptionally good quality work on Dogri language and poetry which needs more encouragement from the administration.

    Another Dogri poet said that they were expecting the authorities to invite Dogri poets and provide them opportunity to show their art in the poetic festival as the programme was being held in Jammu. But, unfortunately, the authorities didn’t think them important enough to be a part of the event and the invitations were limited to Urdu and Hindi poetry only. The JKAACL could have promoted Dogri but they didn’t take any initiative to promote Dogri poetry on such a huge platform.

    According to the sources, JKAACL spent a lot of money on organizing this programme. The Urdu and Hindi poets were invited from across the nation to participate in the program. These poets were honoured and felicitated with pashmina shawls and mementoes. Every poet who participated in the program was given Rs 25000 for participating in the programme. Moreover, JKAACL also covered their travelling allowances and accommodation charges.

  • Pakistan makes billions by exploiting natural resources in occupied J&K

    Pakistan makes billions by exploiting natural resources in occupied J&K

    Pakistan has been utilizing natural resources of the portion of Jammu and Kashmir which it illegally occupied. Mangla dam was constructed on the river Jhelum in 1967. By 8 years later in 1975, the dam produced more money through revenue than cost of the construction of the dam.

    Dr Shabbir Chaudhary, a Kashmiri research scholar, says that Mangla dam produced 250 billion units of electricity by 2010 but Pakistan never shared the revenue with the government of the occupied territory of PoJK.

    Mangla dam produces around 1400 megawatts of hydropower electricity and when it was being constructed, residents of PoJK were promised 300 megawatts free electricity. But in reality, PoJK residents pay more per unit than residents of Punjab who consume the electricity generated by this dam. Moreover, the government doesn’t allows the people of PoJK to build small dams for their own use.

    At the time when India and Pakistan were partitioned, forest area in PoJK was around 1.6 million acres which constituted 42 per cent of the total landmass. Currently, forest covered area has been shrunken to less than 14 percent of the total area.

    Timber mafias, aided by Pakistani military, are cutting down trees. Deodar grows to a height of around 200 feet in 100 years. Mafias cut down such trees and sell them in the market where these trees are sold for a quite high price.

    Dr Chaudhary says that around 2 million trees are being cut down each year. This rapid deforestation is one of the major reasons for the frequent landslides and the large number of fatalities during the 2005 earthquake. Government is selling resources of the PoJK and earning around Rs 84 crore annually only by selling trees only.

    The region of PoJK produces Rs 3 billion worth of flowers and herbs of medicinal value. Pakistan based companies are making profits in crores every year by making use of these flowers and herbs. In both the PoJK and PoGB, there are resources of both metallic and non-metallic minerals. There is 21.5 thousand million ton coal deposits available in PoJK.

    Dr Chaudhary says that precious stones in Neelum valley are worth of $21.5 billion. Pakistan has already extracted around $40 billion worth of precious stones. Still residents of PoJk are forced to live in poverty when there is so much of natural resources present in the region.

    Lack of potable water has caused illnesses like hepatitis and dysentery in the residents. There is also a dearth of hospitals and universities in the region.

  • Go to the farmers protest or pay fine: Punjab Panchayats to villagers

    Go to the farmers protest or pay fine: Punjab Panchayats to villagers

    Many instances are continuously being reported when village panchayats in Punjab are asking their residents to join the farm protests on Delhi borders or pay a fine if they don’t follow the orders.

    There are reports that Panchayats of at least five villages in Malwa region of Punjab passed similar orders demanding every household to send at least one male member for a week to the protest. Even though families which do not follow the order will have to pay a fine, panchayats believe that fines are just to motivate households to participate in the protest.

    Protesting farmers, mainly from Punjab, have organised themselves on border of the national capital. Their main demand is to repeal three farm bills passed by the Central government. Demands for participating in the protest have been on a higher note since on the Republic day, some protestors turned into rioters and forcibly hoisted flag on the Red Fort.

    Avtar Singh, sarpanch of Kararwala village in Bathinda district, said that their entire village is supporting these protests. He said that villagers themselves decided that a household should pay Rs 2,100 as a fine to the panchayat if none of its family members joins the protests. He said that residents have been asked to stay clear of drinking and not creating any unpleasant scene. He also cautioned that if anyone is found to be guilty of such acts, then he/she would have to pay a fine for Rs 5,100. The first jatha of 26 villagers from their village left for Delhi on Saturday. He said that this group will remain there for a week and then the next jatha will replace them.

    Karnail Singh, sarpanch of Sivian village in Kotkapura block of Faridkot district, said that villagers themselves came to a conclusion that a member from every household will join the protest and set a fine of Rs 500 who disobeys the order. This fine will be used for the protests.

    The panchayat of Thikriwal village in Barnala district also passed a similar resolution. Sarpanch Mohinder Singh said that a 25-member group will leave the village regularly. The gram panchayats of Barey village in Budhlada block of Mansa and panchayat of Natheha village in Bathinda district also ordered their residents to reach Delhi borders and join the protests.

  • Time for farm leaders to come on negotiation table and let the poor farmers return home

    Time for farm leaders to come on negotiation table and let the poor farmers return home

    When the nation was celebrating the Republic Day, some protesting farmers lost their tamper and did something which ruined the image which farmer protests had gained. People across the nation had sympathy for these protestors even when many don’t necessarily support their demands.

    These protests emerged as some sort of an ideal for the future protestors as they largely remained peaceful.

    On 20 January, the government agreed to take back three much contested farm laws for a period of 18 months. When the central government agreed to humbly take a step then the farmers should have also followed the gesture and accepted the terms. Accepting the offer given by the government wouldn’t be called a loss for farmers and their efforts wouldn’t go in vain.

    But some farmer leaders rejected this offer and made things complicated for everyone in the process. Some media outlets reported that 15 out of 32 farmer unions from Punjab voted for calling an end to the protest and return home. Since the remaining 17 farm unions were in majority, their wishes were followed by everyone. In place of reaching to a mutual conclusion favoured by both the government and protestors, these farm unions decided to take a maximalist approach which harmed both the parties.

    Protests had been a very important part in shaping the politics of this nation. Starting from pre-independence era, Gandhi’s protests helped the nation in gaining independence from the Britishers by uniting people across all the religions, sects, genders and areas. The movement led by Jaiprakash Narayan during Indira Gandhi’s government shaped Indian politics during the 1970s.

    In 2011-12, Anna Hazare led movement caused waves of resentment for Congress among the masses. One of the major reasons why Congress lost general elections of 2014 so badly could be credited to that particular movement which became the focus of attention for people across the nation and accentuated their dislike of the Congress. Aravind Kejriwal, who became famous during this movement dominated politics of the national capital and is continuing to do so.

    All and all, movements have greatly formed the politics of India by uprooting incumbents and placing new faces in their place. But what sets this movement in a different league than other movements in the past is that they enjoyed a nationwide consensus which this movement has lost, especially after the cruel event of 26 January.

    This movement has just remained a hub of Sikhs, for whom this protest is like a pilgrimage site, and blind haters of the BJP government. This combination, unlike other fateful protests in the past, is on the verge of its end and will not survive against a democratically elected government.

  • Doda becomes first district of J&K to be COVID-19 free

    Doda becomes first district of J&K to be COVID-19 free

    Doda has been announced as the first district of the Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory to have no active coronavirus infection cases and become coronavirus free.

    The health officials said that for the last 15 days, no new COVID19 case was registered in the hilly district. The last three coronavirus patients were discharged from the hospitals on Friday evening after recovering completely. This has made Doda “completely coronavirus free” and the first district in J&K UT which has no active positive case.

    As soon as Doda was declared “corona free” by the government, the people started their celebrations over the news.

    Few other districts in the UT have also reported very less active cases like Kishtwar-1, Ramban-2 and Kathua-3 active positive cases, while Rajouri has five patients.

    The health department of J&K issued a bulletin stating that 3,428 cases were reported from the district with 64 people losing their lives while battling the virus.

    Rashid Choudhary, a local youth leader from Bhadarwah, told Greater Kashmir that this is a great news and gives every resident of J&K relief from the fear of coronavirus. He appreciated the residents of district and the district administration which implemented SOPs and as a result, Doda became coronavirus free. However, he cautioned that we should not let loose of our emotions and keep on sticking to cautionary measures so that the residents can keep the virus at bay.

    As of now, there have been 1.24 lakh coronavirus cases in J&K with 1,936 deaths. J&K has 761 active coronavirus cases. The UT has a recovery ratio (number of recovered patients for every 100 infections) of 97.8 and a case fatality rate (number of deaths per every 100 cases) of 1.6%. The UT has tested more than 45 lakhs people for coronavirus.

    As vaccination drive is going on in the nation, healthcare workers of J&K too are currently being vaccinated. The UT has received 1.5 lakh vaccines a couple of weeks earlier which are being used to vaccinate frontline healthcare workers as they are the one with the highest amount of risk.

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  • Scenic locations in Jammu region ignored by Bollywood production houses during their visit to J&K

    Scenic locations in Jammu region ignored by Bollywood production houses during their visit to J&K

    Big banners of Bollywood visited Kashmir on a 4-day-long trip but skipped Jammu region that is famous for some of the most picturesque areas like Bhaderwah, Patnitop, Sanasar among others.

    The top names which have arrived here include Ajay Devgun Films, Sanjay Dutt Productions, Reliance Entertainment, Rohit Shetty Films, Zee Studios, Adhikari Brothers & SAB (Marathi), Endemol, Rajkumar Hirani, Excel Entertainment, etc besides representatives from Producers Guild, Mumbai.  

    jammu bhaderwah

    Tourism Department of J&K is assisting the production houses in visiting different places in Kashmir valley only.

    Soon after their arrival in Srinagar, the 24-member delegation of top notch banners and other artists visited Gulmarg today. The team will stay in Srinagar on 29th January and also have interactive sessions with media, travel trade associations and Valley’s film and line producers.

    They will also be exploring the favourite backdrop locations at Pahalgam on 30th January before departing back to Mumbai. Director, Tourism, Kashmir, Dr. G N Itoo said the top production houses are here and have visited various locations.

    However no production house was told or brought to the scenic locations in Jammu region. It is despite the fact that Jammu is comparatively safer from Kashmir.

    Bhaderwah is a beautiful tourist spot in Jammu and Kashmir
    Bhaderwah during rainy season

    “Kashmir has been receiving good response from the Bollywood filmmakers since opening of the tourism here in addition to the country’s regional entertainment houses for shooting song sequences and commercial ads,” said Dr. Itoo. 

    Dr Itoo said Kashmir is a natural backdrop for the filmmakers and the department has been making it easy for them to get permissions for shooting.

  • J&K and Ladakh expected to witness snowfall and rain on 2-3 February

    J&K and Ladakh expected to witness snowfall and rain on 2-3 February

    The cold waves are continuously affecting northernmost parts of India and there are not many chances that the weather will take a u-turn in the upcoming couple of days. The weather department has forecasted that snow and rain will dominate the weather of the region on February 2-3.

    The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has stated that a new western disturbance—an extratropical storm which begins in the Mediterranean region, travels eastwards, and brings precipitation over the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent during the winter months—is highly expected to affect the North Indian weather starting Monday, February 1.

    Between 1-3 February, this disturbance is expected to cause scattered rains and/or snowfall, moderate thunderstorms and lightning over the Western Himalayan region (WHR).

    An official of the MET department told IANS that Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are likely to witness dry weather till January 31, after which a spell of snow and light rain can be expected to take place on February 2 and 3. The official said that starting of the new month will cause improvement in both minimum and maximum temperature.

    Presently, Chillai Kalan, the ongoing 40-day-long period of extreme cold winter is continuing to bring zero to sub-zero temperatures in parts of the WHR. Chillai Kalan will end on January 31.

    In the early morning on Thursday, Srinagar registered a minimum temperature of -5.6°C, Pahalgam recorded -12.3°C, whereas Gulmarg noted -13.4°C. Moreover, the Leh town of Ladakh received -16.8°C of mercury levels and Kargil recorded -21.3°C. In Jammu city, the minimum temperature was at 6.2°C, 6°C in Katra, 0.5°C in Batote, -2.2°C in Banihal, and -2°C in Bhaderwah.

    The IMD has also predicted that cold wave will continue to flow in some regions of Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar over the next 2-3 days.

  • J&K maintains a recovery rate of 98% in Covid-19 patients

    J&K maintains a recovery rate of 98% in Covid-19 patients

    As 149 more people have recovered today from the COVID-19, recovery rate from the virus in the union territory of Jammu & Kashmir has reached 97.67 percent. With 63 new admitting for COVID-19, the number of positive cases has reached 1,24,297 while 1,932 lost their lives fighting the virus.

    Srinagar district has reported 26 new cases of Corona Virus, while the number for same in Jammu district is 13 cases, Baramulla and Anantnag districts registered five cases each, Kupwara, Shopian and Samba districts three cases each and Pulwama, Bandipora, Ganderbal, Rajouri & Poonch districts one case each. Districts of Budgam, Kulgam, Udhampur, Doda, Kathua, Kishtwar, Ramban and Reasi districts reported no new case.

    In Kashmir, COVID-19 took lives of 1,212 people while in Jammu division, 720 people lost their lives fighting the deadly virus. The J&K administration informed that 63 new positive cases of COVID-19 have been found, 18 new cases from Jammu and 45 new cases from Kashmir have been reported today. This when added up to the existing number of cases in Jammu and Kashmir becomes 1,24,297. Moreover, one death caused by COVID-19 has also been reported from Jammu division.

    According to the data, 149 more COVID-19 patients have overcome the virus and discharged from hospitals where they were admitted. Out of number, 97 belong to Jammu and 52 to Kashmir division. Out of 1,24,297 positive cases, 963 are reported to be active, 1,21,402 recovered from the virus and 1,932 died.

    The data available states that out of 44,81,723 test results which are available, 43,57,426 samples have tested negative for the virus. 11,01,148 people have been put under observation which comprise 34,025 persons in home quarantine, 963 in isolation and remaining 98,020 in home surveillance. Further, 9,66,208 people have finished their surveillance period.

    The bulletin also listed out cases in each area. These are as following:

    • Srinagar has 26,126 positive cases, 296 active positive, 25,376 recovered, 454 deaths
    • Baramulla has 8,101 positive cases, 38 active positive, 7,889 recovered, 174 deaths
    • Budgam has 7,758 positive cases, 43 active positive, 7,598 recovered, 117 deaths
    • Pulwama has 5,710 positive cases, 57 active positive, 5,565 recovered, 88 deaths
    • Kupwara has 5,650 positive cases, 32 active positive, 5,523 recovered, 95 deaths
    • Anantnag has 4,892 positive cases, 57 active positive, 4,751 recovered, 84 deaths
    • Bandipora has 4,688 positive cases, 22 active positive, 4,605 recovered, 61 deaths
    • Ganderbal has 4,606 positive cases, 61 active positive, 4,499 recovered, 46 deaths
    • Kulgam has 2,692 positive cases, 27 active positive, 2,611 recovered, 54 deaths and
    • Shopian has 2,569 positive cases, 33 active positive, 2,497 recovered, 39 deaths
    • Jammu has 24,938 positive cases, 154 active positive, 24,414 recovered, 370 deaths
    • Udhampur has 4,197 positive cases, 24 active positive, 4,116 recovered, 57 deaths
    • Rajouri has 3,868 positive cases, five active positive, 3,808 recovered, 55 deaths
    • Doda has 3,428 positive cases, three active positive, 3,361 recovered, 64 deaths
    • Kathua has 3,254 positive cases, three active positive, 3,199 recovered, 52 deaths
    • Samba has 2,829 positive cases, 73 active positive, 2,716 recovered, 40 deaths
    • Kishtwar has 2,731 positive cases, one active positive, 2,708 recovered, 22 deaths
    • Poonch has 2,491 positive cases, 27 active positive, 2,440 recovered, 24 deaths
    • Ramban has 2,131 positive cases, two active positive, 2,108 recovered, 21 deaths
    • Reasi has 1,638 positive cases, five active positive, 1,618 recovered, 15 deaths

    11,621 travellers have also been tested coronavirus positive in J&K.

  • Expert Committee reviews patient care facilities in GMC Jammu

    Expert Committee reviews patient care facilities in GMC Jammu

    In pursuance to the J&K High Court’s directions issued in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), a Committee of experts today visited Government Medical College Jammu and took stock of patient care facilities in the premier Hospital.

    The Committee constituted by HC is headed by Dr. Yogesh Chawla, retired Director PGIMER, Chandigarh and has Dr. Ravi Gupta, MS, GMC & Hospital, Chandigarh; Dr. H.L. Goswami, retired Principal GMC Jammu; Dr. Rattan Kudyar ex Director/Principal ASCOMS and Dr. Shashi Sudhan Sharma, Principal GMC & AH as members.

    The experts visited the GMC to examine the infrastructure, equipment and human resource available and shall be further submitting a report to the High Court.

    The experts from the Committee also interacted with the HODs of various departments and listened to their inputs for improving the infrastructure and service delivery for better medical facilities.

    Earlier, the team visited Super Speciality Hospital (SSH) for taking stock of the infrastructure, manpower and other allied facilities.

     Dr. Renu Sharma, Director Health services Jammu coordinated the visit of the committee. Prominent among them who were present during the event were Administrator GMC & AH,

    Medical Superintend, GMC Jammu, Medical Superintend, SSH Jammu, Medical Superintend, SMGS Hospital, Medical Superintend, Psychiatric Hospital Jammu and Medical Superintend, Chest Disease Hospital.

  • LG Mathur pays tribute to Late Dr Sonam Dawa on his 3rd Death Anniversary

    LG Mathur pays tribute to Late Dr Sonam Dawa on his 3rd Death Anniversary

    The Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, R K Mathur paid tribute to the former CEC, LAHDC, Leh Late Dr Sonam Dawa by lighting the holy butter lamp on his 3rd Death Anniversary during a function held at Distkit-Tsal Park, Leh which was named after him.

    Speaking on the occasion, the Lt. Governor said, “Though I didn’t have the chance to meet him, I salute this nobleman, an able administrator and a visionary leader who dedicated his entire life for the welfare of the people and long term development of Ladakh.” He expressed his sympathy and appreciation to the family members for bearing this irreparable loss which he said will be remembered forever.

    LG Mathur said that having achieved the status of union territory for Ladakh, it would be the true tribute and respect to Late Dr Dawa to fulfil the dream he and the people have seen for Ladakh. He said that both administration and political institutions are working towards delivering better services to ensure growth and development of Ladakh.

    CEC, LAHDC, Leh Tashi Gyalson, Dy. Chairman Tsering Angchuk, His Eminence Palga Rinpoche, Executive Councilors, Councilors, former MP Ladakh Thupstan Chhewang, former CEC, LAHDC, Leh Gyal P Wangyal, family members and relatives were present on the occasion.

  • Artists from Ladakh win laurels at virtual National Kala Utsav-2020

    Artists from Ladakh win laurels at virtual National Kala Utsav-2020

    Two artists from Ladakh won accolades during the virtual valedictory function-cum-prize distribution ceremony of National Kala Utsav-2020 held online on January 28.

    The function was held in the presence of Minister of Education, Government of India (GoI), Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’; Secretary and Joint Secretary of the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education, GoI; Director and Secretary of National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT); Joint Secretary Central Institute of Educational Technology (CIET); National Convener, Kala Utsav-2020 along with the state coordinators, teachers and participants of different states and union territories.

    The UT Ladakh team was headed by Nodal Officer, Kala Utsav, Ladakh, Sonam Yangchan, and Technical Coordinator, Kala Utsav, Ladakh, Tsewang Namgail. The students of both Leh and Kargil districts performed vocal music- traditional folk, instrumental music-traditional folk, dance- folk, visual arts (2D), visual arts (3D), and indigenous toys and games during the event.

    Tsering  Kunsal, a student of Class 11 at Lamdon Model Senior Secondary School, Leh, secured the third place in instrumental music-traditional folk. Maqsooma Bano, a student of Class 10 at Government High School, Kaksar, Kargil bagged the second prize in ‘visual art-2D’ in the event held from January 11 to 22 at Paras Hall, Government Boys’ Senior Secondary School, Leh.

  • Parliamentary Committee visits Srinagar to estimate losses, ignores Jammu

    Parliamentary Committee visits Srinagar to estimate losses, ignores Jammu

    As a Parliamentary Standing Committee (PSC) concluded its three-day visit without meeting stakeholders in Jammu, many have raised eyebrows over this decision. This committee comprised of 31 members of parliament and headed by T.G. Venkatesh, a Rajya Sabha MP from Andhra Pradesh. The committee had visited Srinagar and Gulmarg on January 21 for taking a note of the problems faced by the road, tourism, travel and hospitality sectors. The committee’s decision to not to visit Jammu has caused problems.

    Lalit Mahajan, president, Bari Brahmana Industries Association, has termed it a “betrayal” and said that Kashmir is the government’s only priority. Jammu has also problems like Kashmir. It seems that the government has taken them for granted. He said that he or any else representative from Jammu was not even invited for this meeting. In the past, representatives from Jammu used to be a part of the meeting but this time was different.

    This is the first time when committee is visiting the region, after the abrogation Article 370.

    The visit has taken place at a time when the Civil Secretariat and all major departments have been shifted to Jammu. It comes because of a bi-annual tradition of moving all the government offices between Jammu and Kashmir because of change in weather.

    President of Hotel and Restaurant Association Katra, Vaishno Devi, Rakesh Wazir, said that the hospitality sector in Jammu has been badly hit financially and that they had maintained expectations from the delegation’s visit. He said that Vaishno Devi attracts a lot of tourists and has suffered huge losses, still, the delegation didn’t think about visiting them.

    The delegation consisted of Congress’ K.C. Venugopal, Biju Janata Dal’s Prasana Acharya, BJP’s Sushil Kumar Modi and other Lok Sabha MPs including Congress’ Anto Antony, BJP’s Manoj Tiwari and Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Janata Dal’s (United) (JDU) Dinesh Chandra Yadav.

    The general secretary of the Federation of Registered Travel Trade Associations, Jammu, Raminder K. Sanhotra, expressed his surprise that the delegation didn’t think it necessary to visit Jammu. He said that it is very appalling that the committee only took a survey of the losses suffered by Kashmiris despite the fact that Jammu too suffered equally. He also blamed bureaucracy for not developing Jammu’s tourism to its potential. He, along with others, are also going to write to the committee expressing their disappointment.

  • Apprehensions among officers as govt announces to merge J&K and AGMUT cadre

    Apprehensions among officers as govt announces to merge J&K and AGMUT cadre

    The Central government circulated an ordinance on 7 January merging the Jammu and Kashmir cadre of the All India Service officers with the AGMUT cadre. AGMUT is an abbreviation for Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories.

    The All India Services is formed by the Indian Administrative Service, the Indian Police Service and the Indian Forest Service. While most of these officers are appointed through examinations held by the Union Public Service Commission, the selected officers can choose the state cadres they belong to if they want.

    Like any other state, the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir had its own cadre. Since the former state used to enjoy special status, only half of its All India Service officers were directly chosen by the UPSC exams. The other half formed of Kashmir Administrative Service officers promoted to the All India Services. In other states, two-third of the total officers are directly recruited while only 33% officers are selected from the state services.

    In 2020, when Jammu and Kashmir lost its special status then it became subject to the 67:33 rule. Now, the Jammu and Kashmir cadre is being merged into the AGMUT cadre, which includes officers from three states and eight Union Territories. The officers from the AGMUT cadre can be posted in J&K.

    Mohammad Shafi Pandit, who was appointed as the chief secretary of Jammu and Kashmir and later retired in 2009, said that most governments have an understanding that local officers should be appointed at the higher levels of governance. He said that especially when it comes to a sensitive place like Jammu and Kashmir, which has problems from such a long time, it is always wise to have somebody who can understand the problems of local people and can comfort them.

    A negative effect of this merger of the Jammu and Kashmir cadre with the AGMUT cadre is that people from J&K who have cleared the All India Services Exams have now fewer chances of getting appointed and serving within their home region. A retired bureaucrat said that even if Kashmir Administrative Service officers get promoted to the IAS, it will imply that their job posting could be into any part of the nation and they will have lesser chances of serving into their home region.

  • Return of Bollywood to Kashmir: Big banners on 4-day visit to explore valley

    Return of Bollywood to Kashmir: Big banners on 4-day visit to explore valley

    Big banners of Bollywood are on a 4-day visit to Kashmir to explore scenic backdrops for their future film projects. 

    The top names which have arrived here include Ajay Devgun Films, Sanjay Dutt Productions, Reliance Entertainment, Rohit Shetty Films, Zee Studios, Adhikari Brothers & SAB (Marathi), Endemol, Rajkumar Hirani, Excel Entertainment, etc besides representatives from Producers Guild, Mumbai.  

    Soon after their arrival here yesterday, the 24-member delegation of top notch banners and other artists visited Gulmarg today. The team will stay in Srinagar on 29th January and also have interactive sessions with media, travel trade associations and Valley’s film and line producers.

    They will also be exploring the favourite backdrop locations at Pahalgam on 30th January before departing back to Mumbai. Director, Tourism, Kashmir, Dr. G N Itoo said the top production houses are here and have visited various locations.

    “Kashmir has been receiving good response from the Bollywood filmmakers since opening of the tourism here in addition to the country’s regional entertainment houses for shooting song sequences and commercial ads,” said Dr. Itoo. 

    Dr Itoo said Kashmir is a natural backdrop for the filmmakers and the department has been making it easy for them to get permissions for shooting.

    Kashmir has witnessed a steady increase in tourist footfall due to continuous snowfall since the onset of winter.Celebrities who recently visited Kashmir include Singers Jubin Nautiyal, Guru Randhawa, Salman Ali, former Indian actress and model Sana Khan, Music Composer Salim Merchant, TV Host and Anchor Aditya Narayan, business tycoon Anil Ambani and most of whom visited Gulmarg.

    The ski resort also received 100 percent booking as most of the hotels are booked till February end owing to the huge tourist rush. The Producers Guild praised the pristine beauty of the Gulmarg and expressed keen desire to shoot for their upcoming film projects at Various locations in Kashmir. 

    Kashmir has been traditionally a favourite spot for the Bollywood who have shot scores of movies here at Dal Lake, Srinagar’s Mughal Gardens, Gulmarg and Pahalgam.

  • Farmers protest loses steam as police lodges FIR and many unions withdraw support

    Farmers protest loses steam as police lodges FIR and many unions withdraw support

    When India was celebrating its 72nd Republic Day, protesting farmers turned violent and what followed after could not be called less than a riot. Rioters injured 394 police personnel with more than 80 still admitting to hospitals across the capital. They recall that they were attacked by protesters carrying swords, lathis, glass bottles and chains.

    The Delhi Police has registered 33 FIRs. These FIRs also mentions over 30 of the 40 farm union leaders who were engaged in the discussion with the Centre regarding farm bills.

    Inspector Anil Kumar has filed a complaint mentioning 37 farm union leaders, including six spokespersons of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM). An FIR has been registered at the Samaypur Badli police station, in Outer Delhi, on the basis of complaint.

    The FIR lists rioting, criminal conspiracy, attempt to murder and robbery as crimes committed by these people. The FIR says that the rioters/ protesters and their leaders already pre-planned that they will not follow permitted route and as a result, the violence took place.

    On Thursday, a group of local residents arrived at the Singhu border and demonstrated their opposition against the farmers’ agitation. They were demanding that the inter-State highway should be cleared.

    Mahesh Chauhan, a resident of the Palla village, said that it has been more than two months since the road has been blocked. Nearby villagers have to face problems because of this protest for such a long time. He said that the villagers are demanding the road to be cleared. A large number of villagers will gather to protest if their demands are not heard and the road is not cleared.

    PDP chief, Mehbooba Mufti, termed the violence on Republic Day as “a conspiracy” to defame farmers. She told media that the main person behind Republic Day protest is a member of BJP.

    Haryana government has suspended mobile internet services in Sonipat, Palwal and Jhajjar.

    On Thursday, Ghaziabad administration issued orders to protestors to vacate Ghazipur protest site by midnight. The administration said that they are ready to vacate the site. However, the farmers have refused to vacate the ground as Bharat Kisan Union President Rakesh Tikait declaring that he can even face bullets.

    The ANI has reported that Uttar Pradesh government has ordered all DMs and SSPs of the state to make sure that all the farmers’ protests are ended.

    Two farmer unions – Bharatiya Kisan Union (Bhanu) and Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan have withdrew from the agitation. Thakur Bhanu Pratap Singh, Bharatiya Kisan Union president, said that he is deeply hurt by the incidents that took place in Delhi on the Republic Day. He also announced to withdrew from the protest.

    VM Singh, Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan, said that he and his organization can’t continue a protest with people “whose direction is something else”.

  • Punjab CM writes to PM Modi demanding to make Punjabi an official language of J&K

    Punjab CM writes to PM Modi demanding to make Punjabi an official language of J&K

    The chief minister of Punjab, Captain Amarinder Singh has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to include Punjabi in the list of official languages of Jammu and Kashmir.

    To support his demand, he mentioned Punjab’s historic links with Jammu and Kashmir since the time when Maharaja Ranjit Singh used to rule the state. Amarinder Singh wrote a letter to the Prime Minister.

    In this letter, he urged the PM to direct the Union ministry of home affairs to include Punjabi as one of the official languages of the union territory. He said that the Punjabi community is upset over exclusion of their language from the list.

    Captain Amarinder Singh

    Amarinder Singh wrote that Jammu and Kashmir used to be a part of Punjab during the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the 19th-century Sikh ruler, and Punjabi was one of the widely spoken languages of the region. When Jammu and Kashmir became an independent state, Punjabi was one of the most widely spoken languages in the region. Punjabi is the mother tongue of all Punjabis in the Jammu region and is also being spoken by the Punjabi community living in the Kashmir Valley.

    The chief minister of Punjab wrote that under the Jammu and Kashmir Languages Bill, 2020 which both the houses of Parliament passed with a voice vote in September last year, Kashmiri, Dogri and Hindi were added to the list of official languages of J&K, with already existing Urdu and English. However, Punjabi was not added to this list.

    When the Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Bill, 2020 was being passed by Rajya Sabha last year, Minister of State for Home G. Kishan Reddy said that the government would also encourage other local languages like Punjabi, Gurjari and Pahari in the region.

  • J&K residents waiting for Ayushman Bharat ID cards after registering months ago

    Many questions are being raised in J&K over non-issuance of ID cards for Ayushman Bharat scheme. On 26 December 2020, this scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for people of J&K. Under this scheme, J&K residents are entitled to free treatment costing up to 5 lakh rupees in 218 Hospitals of J&K and 24,000 Hospitals including both Government and private, all over India.

    To avail the benefits of this scheme, one has to show e-cards/ Golden Cards issued by Ayushmann Bharat to medical authority. But, surprisingly, e- cards / Golden cards have not been received by the people.

    People of J&K, specially old persons, are eagerly waiting for cards for which they have also paid a small amount to agencies for each card. In October last year, Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner Migrants established 20 centres where people can register for the cards after paying Rs 30/- for plain cards and 60/- for coloured cards.

    However, J&K residents complain that they have not received their cards even now. When people enquired about it from CSC, they asked for a message of Ayushmann Bharat which people have not received. Moreover, when people decided to call on numbers mentioned in the advertisement, they were not working.

    This whole incident seems like a prank being played by the government over people. People are raising questions like why was the scheme launched by the Prime Minister if its functions were not figured out. If people don’t have cards, then how can they make use of the scheme?

    J&K State Pensioners and Senior Citizens Welfare Society President, Mir Gh Rasool Butvani, State Secretary, Sh D. N. Sadhu and other members appealed J&K LG Manoj Sinha for issuing directions to the concerned department immediately issuing Ayushmann Cards to the people of J&K so that old age persons, retired pensioners, Senior Citizens and other persons who are suffering from serious health problems can get benefits of the Ayushmann Bharat Scheme.