Page 87 - Jammu And Kashmir

Sustainable development top priority of J-K admin, says L-G Sinha

Sustainable development and environment conservation is the top priority of the Jammu and Kashmir administration, which is making "honest efforts" to address the challenges of climate change, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha said on Sunday. Sinha was speaking at the launch of the Green Jammu and Kashmir Drive 2023-24 at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) here. He informed that while four crore saplings were planted in the past three years, another 1.75 crore will be planted this year. "Sustainable development and environment conservation is our priority. Protection of natural resources is in the DNA of our society, culture. With the whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, we are making honest efforts to address the challenges of climate change," he said. The drive has become a major contributor to increasing the Union Territory's green cover, strengthening the ecology and building a healthier society, Sinha said. "In the past three years, we have been able to plant more th

Amarnath yatra to be temporarily suspended from Aug 23 for restoration

The annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas will remain temporarily suspended from August 23 in view of reduced pilgrim flow and track restoration works, an official spokesman said on Sunday. However, the Chari Mubarak, the holy mace of Lord Shiva, shall proceed via the traditional Pahalgam route marking the culmination of the yatra on August 31, the spokesman said. Over 4.4 lakh pilgrims have so far paid obeisance at the shrine since the commencement of the 62-day yatra from the twin tracks traditional 48-km Pahalgam track in Anantnag district and shorter 14-km Baltal route in Ganderbal district on July 1. Quoting Shrine Board authorities, the spokesman said, "Due to considerable reduction in the flow of pilgrims and the urgent repairs and maintenance of the yatra tracks at vulnerable stretches being undertaken by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), movement of pilgrims on both the tracks leading to the holy cave is not advisable". Hence, the yatra .

J-K admin selectively terminating Kashmiri employees from service: Mufti

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday slammed the Jammu and Kashmir administration for selectively terminating Kashmiri employees from service by labelling them as "terrorist sympathisers". Mehbooba's reaction comes a day after the Jammu and Kashmir Bank sacked its chief manager Sajad Ahmad Bazaz for allegedly being a "threat to the security of the state". In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the former chief minister wrote, "Selectively terminating Kashmiri employees by wrongfully dubbing them as terrorist sympathisers & pro ISI has been normalised." "The accused isn't given a chance to prove his innocence with the government acting as judge & jury. This hooliganism is meant to frighten Kashmiris into submission," she added. In an order on Saturday, the managing director of the bank stated that "after considering the facts and circumstances of the case contained in the report received from credible agencies that the activities of Mr Sajad Ahmad Bazaz...posted at ...

All decks cleared for new medical college in J&K after L-G meeting

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday chaired the 71st meeting of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) in Reasi district, with the board according in-principle approval for setting up a medical college. The meeting was attended by members of the board, the Lt Governor's Principal Secretary Mandeep Kumar Bhandari and SMVDSB Chief Executive Officer Anshul Garg, an official spokesman said. He said the board accorded in-principle approval for the establishment of a 50-bed medical college at Kakryal at an approximate cost of Rs 350-450 crore. "The board concurred with the projected need for expansion of the operational base of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Narayana Superspeciality Hospital (SMVDNSH) to cater to a larger number of patients requiring specialized treatment. After extensive deliberations, the board accorded in-principle approval to addition of 200 to 220 beds to the existing capacity of the hospital at an approximate cost of Rs 120 crore," the ..

More than 300 films, shows shot in J-K after launch of new film policy: L-G

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday said over 300 movies and serials have been shot here after the administration launched the new film policy. Talking to reporters after inaugurating the first-day shoot of upcoming TV serial "Pashmina", Sinha said the union territory is re-emerging as a favourite destination for film shootings. Two years ago, a new film policy was launched by the J-K administration after consultations with all stakeholders. Now, we are seeing that Jammu and Kashmir is re-emerging as a favourite destination for film shootings, Sinha told reporters. The LG said the film-related activities in the union territory will help in generating more employment opportunities for the youth. "I feel that the era when Hollywood or Bollywood films were shot here till the '80s, is returning. More than 300 films have been shot here. Today, SAB TV has started the serial Pashmina' from here and I wish them the best. "I think it will provide employment ...

Two LeT militant associates arrested in J-K's Baramulla on Friday

Two militant associates of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) were arrested in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir and two grenades and eight pistol rounds were recovered from their possession, police said on Friday. At a joint checkpoint established at Sher Colony Tarzoo in Sopore area of the north Kashmir district, security forces intercepted two persons who on seeing the joint party tried to flee, but were apprehended, a police spokesman said. He identified them as Manzoor Ahmad Bhat and Tanveer Ahmad Lone, both residents of Darnambal Tarzoo. The two are linked with proscribed terror outfit LeT and during their search, two grenades and eight pistol rounds and other incriminating materials were recovered, the spokesman said. A case has been registered and an investigation has been initiated, he said.

NIA raids 8 locations in J-K terror conspiracy hatched to target minorities

According to the case, the terror outfits used the cyber-space to target minorities, security personnel and spread communal disharmony in Jammu and Kashmir

First batch of pilgrims embarks on Budha Amarnath Yatra from Jammu

Stating that all security arrangements have been done for the Yatra, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Jammu, Mukesh Singh, wished pilgrims on their journey

Art 370: SC questions issuance of constitutional orders for J-K post 1957

The Supreme Court on Thursday questioned the issuance of several constitutional orders which allowed provisions of the Indian Constitution to be applied in Jammu and Kashmir post 1957. The top court was referring to the Constitution (Application to Jammu and Kashmir) Amendment Orders passed since 1957 till August 6, 2019. A five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud expressed surprise to the submission of senior advocate Dushyant Dave, appearing for a petitioner, that Article 370, which bestowed special status on the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, had lived its life and achieved its purpose. Unlike other senior lawyers, including Kapil Sibal and Gopal Subramanium, Dave argued that Article 370 has not in entirety assumed a permanent character and has lived its worth with the term of the Constituent Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir coming to an end in 1957. "I respectfully submit that Article 370 has lived its life. It has achieved its purpose. Now, Article 370 (1)

Banana prices rise to Rs 100 per kg amid shortage of supply from Tamil Nadu

Banana traders said that middlemen are responsible for the price rise as farmers were not getting the right prices for their produce

Mild intensity earthquake hits Rajouri in J-K; no damage reported

An earthquake of 3.6 magnitude struck Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district on Thursday, but there was no report of any damage, officials said. The epicentre of the tremor, which occurred at 3.49 am, was the mountainous areas of Rajouri, according to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS). The depth of the earthquake was 10 kilometers below the surface, at a latitude of 33.33 degrees north and a longitude of 74.20 degrees, it said.

Article 370: SC asks if Parl can enact law to divide J&K into two UTs

The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked whether Parliament could have enacted the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, which divided the erstwhile state into two union territories, during the subsistence of President's Rule in 2018-2019. The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill was tabled and passed by the Rajya Sabha on August 5, 2019 and was tabled and passed by the Lok Sabha the next day. It received presidential assent on August 9, 2019. A five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud posed this question to senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, appearing for Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference, which has, apart from challenging the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution, contested the imposition of President's Rule in the erstwhile state on December 19, 2018 and its extension on July 3, 2019 for six months. "Can Parliament enact a law (Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act) during the subsistence of a proclamation under Article 356 in exercise of its power?" the chief

Non-adherence to building codes in hills can have lethal consequences: Omar

National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said people in the hill states should be mindful of the building codes while undertaking constructions as non-adherence to these guidelines can have lethal consequences. "Years of Govt apathy and wilful ignorance while multi-storey concrete structures were built on unstable hillsides has lethal consequences. Who thought these buildings were a good idea? All hill states need to be mindful of the growing impact of climate change & enforce building codes accordingly," Abdullah, the NC vice president, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. He was reacting to a video of a house collapse on a hillside in Himachal Pradesh. Two persons were killed on Tuesday when eight houses, including six makeshift ones, collapsed and a slaughterhouse was buried under the debris following a landslide in Krishnanagar locality in Shimla.

When people can queue outside polling booths for assembly polls: Omar

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Tuesday offered a backhanded compliment to the Jammu and Kashmir administration, saying the "queues" outside the Independence Day function venue were "excellent" but asked when assembly elections will be held. "Excellent. So when can these same people expect to be queueing outside polling booths for assembly elections?" Omar said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. Abdullah was responding to media reports about long queues outside Bakshi Stadium here, the venue of the main Independence Day function in Jammu and Kashmir. People's Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti also extended good wishes on the 77th Independence Day. "Happy Independence day to my fellow countrymen. May the idea of INDIA that binds us together triumph," she said in a post on X. The PDP president also posted a photograph of Mahatma Gandhi, India's first prime minister Jawahar Lal Nehru, and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad walking together.

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J-K LG dedicates digital initiatives for delivery of services to citizens

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Saturday dedicated various digital initiatives to the people of the union territory for an improved doorstep delivery of services. Sinha attended the 'Yug Parivartan, Badalta Jammu Kashmir' programme in Srinagar. In his address, the Lt Governor appreciated the IT Department and other stakeholder agencies for their endeavours to ensure seamless access to government services. He said the new digital initiatives launched on Saturday such as Digi-Dost (Doorstep delivery of services), CSC-Aadhaar Seva Kendras at Block Level, on-boarding of 300 services on auto appeal system and Digi Sahayak, a multilingual chatbot will provide improved citizen-centric services to the people. The Lt Governor highlighted the key initiatives of the UT administration to make the governance system more transparent, accountable and responsive. "Digital J&K has given many unique and incredible digital-first experiences. In future, the outcome of combined team

Army conducts patrolling along LoC in J-K's Poonch ahead of I-Day

Earlier in the day, District Administration Anantnag in collaboration with Municipal Committee Dooru Anantnag, Jammu Kashmir Police, local schools, and CRPF held the longest Tiranga Rally to date

915 pilgrims leave Jammu base camp for Amarnath cave shrine

After a one-day break, a fresh batch of 915 pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here for Kashmir on Saturday to undertake the annual Amarnath pilgrimage, officials said. The pilgrims left in a convoy of 33 vehicles between 3:30 am and 3:45 am amid tight security, they said. While 675 pilgrims, including 97 women, 25 sadhus and three sadhvis, are headed to the Pahalgam base camp in Anantnag district, 240 devotees are on their way to the Baltal base camp in Ganderbal district, they said. So far, over 4.31 lakh pilgrims have paid obeisance at the 3,880-metre-high holy cave shrine of Amarnath since the commencement of the annual 62-day yatra from the twin tracks -- the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route and the shorter 14-km Baltal route -- on July 1, according to the officials. No yatri convoy left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp on Friday after the authorities decided to run the yatra alternatively from Jammu and Kashmir in view of a sharp decline in the number of pilgrim ..

Jawan found dead inside camp in J-K's Pulwama in suspected suicide case

A CRPF jawan was found dead inside a camp in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district in a suspected case of suicide, officials said. According to preliminary reports, Sepoy Ajay Kumar was found dead at Chursoo in the Awantipora area of the south Kashmir district after gunshots were heard around 2 am, the officials said. The investigators believe Kumar may have committed suicide, they said. Police have taken cognizance of the incident, the officials added.

India deploys MiG-29 fighter jets squadron at Srinagar to handle threats

"The fighter aircraft have also been provided with the capability to jam the enemy aircraft's capabilities during times of conflict", officials said