Page 33 - Jammu And Kashmir

J&K Dy CM Surinder Choudhary vows crackdown on illegal mining, drug mafia

Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary He vowed to take action against illegal mining, drug mafia, and other organized crime syndicates

Statehood restoration to accelerate J-K development, says Farooq Abdullah

National Conference President Farooq Abdullah said that the restoration of the promised statehood to Jammu and Kashmir will give momentum to the ongoing developmental activities in the region and help the democratically elected government alleviate the suffering of the masses. During his interactions with the public and various delegations at his residence, the former chief minister said the Omar Abdullah-led government would ensure that the benefits of governance reach every doorstep. "The winds of change that have brought a democratic government to the region, with Omar sahib at the helm steering us towards safer shores, will work for every section of society, ensuring that the benefits of progress reach every doorstep," he said. He added that the signs of change are clear and development is on the rise, poised to accelerate once statehood is restored. "I am confident that the Centre will uphold its promise and grant full statehood, paving the way for rapid progress," Abdullah ..

Budget 2025: J&K gets Rs 41,000 crore, separate Rs 9,325 cr for police

The Centre has allocated Rs 41,000.07 crore to Jammu and Kashmir in the Union Budget for 2025-26, which is almost the same as the revised estimate for the 2024-25 fiscal. Additionally, the Jammu and Kashmir Police -- directly controlled by the Union home ministry since the abrogation of Article 370 and the reorganisation of the erstwhile state -- will receive Rs 9,325.73 crore, up from Rs 8,665.94 crore in 2024-25. In the budget presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Lok Sabha on Saturday, Rs 40,619.30 crore has been allocated as central assistance to meet the resource gap in Jammu and Kashmir. Rs 279 crore has been allocated as grants towards contribution to the Union Territory Disaster Response Fund and Rs 101.77 crore as support for capital expenditure. The Centre had allocated Rs 42,277.74 crore to Jammu and Kashmir for the 2024-25 fiscal that was later revised downwards to Rs 41,000.07 crore. In the 2023-24 fiscal, the allocation for Jammu and Kashmir wa

J-K Assembly's first budget session in 6 years to begin on March 3

The Budget Session of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly will begin on March 3 with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha's address, officials said on Thursday. This will be the first budget of the Omar Abdullah-led National Conference government after assuming power on October 16 last year, ending a six-year-old central rule. "I, Manoj Sinha, Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, under the provisions of Section 21(1) of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, call upon the Members of the Legislative Assembly to assemble in the Legislative Assembly Complex at Jammu on Monday, the 3rd of March, at 10 am to hear my address," read a bulletin issued by the Assembly secretariat. In another bulletin, the Assembly Secretariat requested the members not to send more than 10 starred and 10 unstarred questions in relaxation of Rule 32 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business and not more than three bills in relaxation of sub-rule (3) of Rule 65 of the Rules o

Authorities in J-K warn against spring water use due to contamination

Authorities in Kashmir have directed people not to directly consume spring water in Ganderbal district and rural areas of Srinagar after samples collected from 37 water bodies were found to contain harmful bacteria. In a notice issued on Wednesday, the Jal Shakti department said if at all spring water is to be used, it should be boiled. The warning comes in the backdrop of 17 deaths reported from Rajouri district due to a mysterious illness. "Jal Shakti (PHE) Rural Water Supply Division Ganderbal/Sgr carried out a massive drive of random sampling and testing of various springs across Ganderbal district, wherein it has been found that 37 out of 40 samples collected are bacteriologically positive... rendering those springs unfit for human consumption," the notice said. "Now, through the medium of this notice, the general public of district Ganderbal and rural Srinagar, where spring water is used for drinking purposes by locals..., are requested to refrain from using spring water for

Terror case: J&K MP Rashid Engineer seeks interim bail for budget session

Jammu and Kashmir MP Rashid Engineer on Wednesday moved the Delhi High Court seeking interim bail in a terror-funding case. Rashid sought the reprieve on the ground that he wished to attend the upcoming budget session of the Parliament, which begins on January 31 and concludes on April 4. As an alternative, he prayed that he be given custody parole during this period. The plea forms part of his pending petition on the issue of granting him bail in the case by the NIA. In the main petition, he has urged the high court to either direct the expeditious disposal of his pending bail application by a lower court here or decide the matter itself. On January 23, the high court had sought the stand of the NIA in the case and listed it for hearing on January 30. Rahid's plea for the interim bail is also expected to be heard by the high court on January 30. On December 24 last year, additional sessions judge Chander Jit Singh -- who had requested the district judge to transfer the case to

Search operations underway at nearly two dozen places across Jammu

Security forces on Tuesday launched a massive search operation at nearly two dozen places, mostly in the higher reaches and forest areas along the Line of Control, to counter terrorists who carried out several attacks last year in various districts of Jammu region, officials said. After carrying out deadly attacks in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch since 2021, terrorists spread their activities to six other districts in Jammu region last year, leaving 44 people, including 18 security personnel and 13 terrorists dead. Though the Pir Panjal districts of Rajouri and Poonch witnessed a considerable drop in the terror activities in 2024 compared to the previous years, the series of incidents in Reasi, Doda, Kishtwar, Kathua, Udhampur and Jammu from April-May onwards came as a concern for the security agencies. The officials said a search operation is underway at 23 places highest 10 in the Chenab valley districts of Kishtwar, Doda and Ramban, seven in Rajouri-Poonch belt

CM Omar Abdullah releases mascot, commemorative souvenir for KIWG in J-K

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday unveiled the Khelo India Winter Games (KIWG) 2025 mascot, the snow leopard, symbolising the region's rich biodiversity and commitment to conservation. The Chief Minister also released a commemorative souvenir and launched a multimedia campaign for the event scheduled to be held from February 22 to 25 at Gulmarg in north Kashmir, an official spokesman said. Abdullah reviewed the preparations for the 5th edition of the KIWG during a high-level meeting held here, with the focus on ensuring the successful conduct of the event and strengthening the region's position as a premier destination for winter sports, the spokesman said. The first phase of the event was held in Ladakh from January 23 to 27. Over 1,000 athletes from 35 states, Union Territories and sports boards are expected to participate in competitions such as alpine skiing, Nordic skiing, ski mountaineering, snowboarding and a demonstration sportsnowshoe racing. The ..

JK Cement to acquire majority 60% stake in Saifco Cements to enter J&K mkt

JK Cement, one of the leading cement producers, has said it will acquire a 60 per cent stake of Saifco Cements in a deal through which it will enter into the Jammu & Kashmir market. The JK Group firm will acquire a 60 per cent stake in Saifco Cements, which has an integrated manufacturing unit at Khunmoh in Srinagar, at a valuation of Rs 174 crore, according to a joint statement. Saifco's integrated manufacturing unit in Srinagar is spread across 54 acres of land and has a clinker capacity of 0.26 MTPA and grinding capacity of 0.42 MTPA. Besides, it has captive limestone reserves spread over 144.25 hectares with a total minable reserve of 129 million tonnes. "The acquisition will help the company expand its footprint into the state of Jammu and Kashmir Region," it said. JK Cement has a manufacturing capacity of 24.2 MTPA (million tonnes per annum) having a strong presence in markets such as Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh. Its turnover for FY24 was at Rs 86.30 ...

J-K: Tiranga Yatra with 500 participants in Uri marks 76th Republic Day

This year, Republic Day highlights the 75 years since the enactment of the Constitution and emphasizes "Jan Bhagidari" (people's participation)

NHRC admits petition on 'mysterious' deaths of 17 people in J&K's Rajouri

The NHRC has admitted a petition filed by a Jammu-based RTI activist over the mysterious deaths of 17 people from three Scheduled Tribe families in a remote village in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district during the past one-and-a-half months. In his petition to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Raman Sharma sought the statutory body's intervention to ensure "justice, relief and proactive measures to safeguard the rights and dignity of citizens in vulnerable areas". Seventeen people, including 13 children, died under mysterious circumstances in Badhaal village between December 7 and January 19. The patients complained of fever, pain, intense sweating, nausea and loss of consciousness before dying within days of their admission to hospitals. Investigations and samples collected empirically indicated the incidents were not due to a communicable disease of bacterial or viral origin and that there was no public health angle, prompting police to set up a Special Investigation

7 J&K cops who foiled Amarnath attack among gallantry medal recipients

Seven of the 15 Jammu and Kashmir Police officers, including former Kashmir Zone inspector general of police Vijay Kumar, awarded gallantry medals on the eve of Republic Day, played a key role in averting a possible terror attack on the Amarnath Yatra three years ago, officials said. The Medal for Gallantry recipients also included Humayun Bhat, a deputy superintendent of police who was one of four officers to lay down their lives during an encounter with terrorists in south Kashmir's Kokernag in September 2023. Bhat had been honoured with the Kirti Chakra for extraordinary bravery on the eve of last year's Independence Day. In addition to the 15 gallantry medals, Anand Jain and Nitish Kumar -- two additional directors general of police-rank officers -- received the President's Medal for Distinguished Service while 10 other officers were awarded the Medal for Meritorious Service. During his tenure in Kashmir as inspector general of police, Kumar generated an input that a group of .

Vande Bharat train completes trial run from Katra to Srinagar in J&K

Years of hard work and dedication, and some engineering marvels later, the dream of Kashmir's rail connectivity finally came true as a specially-designed Vande Bharat Express train arrived here on Saturday, completing its trial run. The train, on its maiden trial run, arrived at the Srinagar station in the Nowgam area on the city outskirts from Katra in Jammu. It had reached Jammu on Friday. As the Vande Bharat Express reached the station at 11:30 am, it was welcomed with slogans and praises for the Indian Railways. A large number of people and railway officials were waiting for the train since the morning, many of them carrying garlands to welcome the officials on board the train. After a brief half at the station here, the train moved to the Budgam station to complete its trial run. "The first trial run of the Vande Bharat between Katra and Kashmir was completed successfully," an official said. The train is specially designed to operate seamlessly in Jammu and Kashmir's challe

Chaos in Waqf JPC: BJP's Jagdambika Pal says 'Kalyan Banerjee abused me'

The JPC meeting began contentiously, with opposition members claiming they had insufficient time to review the draft legislation

J&K govt begins process of geo-tagging Chinar trees to preserve heritage

Jammu and Kashmir's government began the process of geo-tagging in its bid to preserve heritage Chinar trees in Kashmir on Thursday.Dr Syed Tariq, Scientist at Forest Research Institute said, "Chinars are oxygen producers. Chinar has its own scope, it plays a major role. Keeping this in view, we thought of keeping a track on the stock of Chinar in the Valley. With the advancement of technologies, we provided 'Digital Aadhaar' to these trees. Now, every Chinar has its own 'Aadhar' number. We have linked it to Digital India. We have installed scanable QR codes. Every district has its own district code with the number of Chinars. So far, we have identified and geo-tagged 28,560 Chinar."He further said that forest areas have come to the rescue of Chinar."We have collected their readings, physical characteristics and locked them with QR scan. You can scan the QR code and know everything about them. We have also appealed for 'Save Chinar'. This is a very positive step because we will make a

Trump's behaviour towards India good as of now, says J&K CM Omar Abdullah

Asserting that US President Donald Trump's behaviour towards India has been good till now, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said that when he was in office earlier, his relations with Prime Minister Narendra Modi were good. On the issue of mysterious deaths in Rajouri, he said that investigations are going on. "It has been two days since he assumed office. At least his behaviour at present has been good. When he was in office earlier, his relations with Prime Minister Modi were good", he told reporters here. Abdullah further said that as far as the duty hike is concerned, our country has not been included in it so far. "Let's see what happens going forwardit's only been two days," he added. He was replying to questions about Trump's relations with India and investigation into Rajouri deaths case. "As of now, our investigation is ongoing. Like I said that day in Rajouri, we have at least been able to understand that this is neither a virus nor a bacteria,"

Mystery illness in Rajouri continues as over 200 people moved to quarantine

Over 200 individuals, who came in contact with the affected families of the 17 people who died due to the mysterious illness in Rajouri, have been quarantined as a precautionary measure, an official said on Thursday. Four people, including three sisters, have been shifted to hospitals, with three airlifted to a hospital in Jammu. Top health officials have identified a common factor among all those who lost their lives in Badhaal village as involvement of the brain and damage to the nervous system. National Conference (NC) leader and local MLA Javaid Iqbal Choudhary on Thursday demanded the imposition of a medical emergency to save people and contain the spread of such a mysterious illness. Over 200 individuals who came into contact with the affected families have been relocated to a quarantine centre set up in the building of a nursing college and GMC hospital in Rajouri, they said. A new quarantine centre was set up in nursing college on Wednesday. As a precautionary measure, the

'Toxins, not infection': Union Min on mysterious deaths in J&K's Rajouri

Union minister Jitendra Singh ruled out infection in Rajouri deaths; toxins are suspected as the cause. Prohibitory orders have been imposed, with 17 fatalities reported in Badhaal village

HC seeks NIA's stand on J-K MP Rashid Engineer's plea in terror case

The Delhi High Court on Thursday sought the stand of the NIA on Jammu and Kashmir MP Rashid Engineer's plea on the issue of granting him bail in a terror-funding case. Justice Vikas Mahajan asked the agency to file its response and listed the matter for further hearing on January 30. Senior counsel appearing for the lawmaker argued that his bail plea has been pending in the lower court for a considerable time and urged the high court to either direct its expeditious disposal or decide the matter itself. "Issue notice. Let reply/ status report be filed," the high court said. On December 24 last year, Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh dismissed Rashid's plea urging him to pronounce the verdict on his pending bail application. The trial judge said at the present stage he could only decide the miscellaneous application and not the regular bail plea. The case was sent back to the ASJ by the district judge for hearing. The ASJ court requested the district judge to transfer t

J&K jailed MP Rashid Engineer moves Delhi HC for bail in terror case

Jammu and Kashmir MP Rashid Engineer on Wednesday moved the Delhi High Court over bail in a terror-funding case. The matter would come up on January 23 before Justice Vikas Mahajan. In his plea, Rashid prayed for an expeditious ruling on the issue of his release on bail, which is currently pending before a trial court. He is also believed to have said the matter could be decided by the high court. "The bail application for Engineer Rashid has been filed and is listed for hearing in the Delhi High Court on January 23," Inam in Nabi, the chief spokesman of Awami Ittehad Party said on Wednesday. Nabi said the party would continue to make efforts to ensure justice for the jailed MP. "Engineer Rashid has always been a voice for the marginalised and a strong advocate for the democratic aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. His continued incarceration is deeply concerning and a disservice to the principles of democracy and justice," said the spokesman. On December 24 last year