His Contributions Will Always Be Remembered, Recalled: Prof Talat
SNS KASHMIR
SRINAGAR, APRIL 08 :
Srinagar, Apr 8 (GNS): Former Vice Chancellor, Kashmir University, Prof. Riyaz Punjabi died after brief illness at his Delhi residence on Thursday .
Vice-Chancellor University of Kashmir Prof Talat Ahmad, Registrar Dr Nisar Ahmad Mir and other officers and functionaries of the varsity condoled the demise.
Recalling the contributions of Prof Punjabi as KU Vice-Chancellor (from 2008 to 2011) as well as his rich academic and literary pursuits, Prof Talat and Dr Mir prayed for eternal peace to the departed soul while expressing their deep sympathies and solidarity with the bereaved family in this hour of grief, the varsity said in a statement to GNS.
“Prof Punjabi’s contributions to the growth and development of this university will always be remembered and recalled,” they said.
Dean of Academic Affairs, Dean Colleges, Dean Research, Deans of various Faculties on the campus, Heads of teaching Departments, Officers of the Registry and members from the ministerial staff also condoled the sad demise of Prof Riyaz Punjabi and expressed their solidarity with the bereaved family. (GNS)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday received the second dose of Covid-19 vaccine here at the city’s premier All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), giving a message to the people that “vaccination is among the few ways we have, to defeat the virus”.IANS
Director School Education Jammu has “attached” with CEO Rajouri the ZEPO Surankote who allegedly called a teacher sporting beard as ‘big militant’ and also allegedly entered mosque without removing shoes in Pponch district last week.
“Pending decision on the enquiry report as submitted by the enquiry committee constituted by Chief Education Officer, Poonch vide his Office order No.CEO/P/P&S/2020-21/213-19 dated. 02-04-2021, Smt. Kamlesh Kumari, ZEPO Surankote, is attached in the office of Chief Education Officer, Rajouri with immediate effect till further orders,” reads an order issued by Dr Ravi Shankar Sharma, the Director School Education Jammu, a copy of which lies with GNS.
The Chief Education Officer Poonch had ordered the inquiry against the ZEPO (Zonal Education Planning Officer) after a video went viral on social media in which she is seen misbehaving with the management of a private school during inspection last week. She also allegedly entered a mosque, adjacent to the educational institute, without removing shoes.
Sub-District Magistrate Surankote Poonch had on April 2 sought an explanation within two days from ZEPO Kamlesh Kumari after the video on social media.
The SDM had also forwarded the copies of the explanation letter for information to Deputy Commissioner Poonch, SSP Poonch, Director School Education Jammu besides CEO Poonch and ZEO Surankote. (GNS)
A 40-year-old prisoner, who was lodged in Kathua jail, was found hanging inside the bathroom of the jail, officials said on Thursday.
Rajinder Singh son of Nachatar Singh, a resident of Fazilka PB, was lodged in the District Jail Kathua.
Official sources told KNT that on the intervening night of Wednesday and Friday, Rajinder hanged himself with the help of a bed sheet inside the bathroom.
A case in this regard has been registered and investigation set into motion. (KNT)
Bandipora police received a specific information through reliable sources that one person namely Muzaffar Ahmad Wani S/O Mohd Sayed Wani R/o Nadihal has illegally procured Govt rice and is repacking it into Apple Brand rice bags,so as to sell them in private open market.
Acting swiftly,a police party of police station Aragam led by SHO Ps Aragam under the supervision of SSP Bandipora Shri Mohammad Zahid -JKPS and DYSP HQRS Bandipora Shri Mohammad Idress-JKPS raided a place at Nadihal and recovered 26 Quintals of Govt rice. A stitching machine, weighing machine and some empty packing bags were also seized from the spot. However accused person managed to flee from the spot and efforts are on to nab him. In this connection Case FIR No. 12/2021 under relevant sections of law was registered in PS Argam.
SSP Bandipora told SNS Kashmir that During preliminary investigation it surfaced that the some FCS & CA controlled fair price shop owners were illegally selling the Govt rice to the accused person, who was repacking it into Apple Brand rice bags for further selling it in private market. Further investigation is going on and more arrests are expected.
The about 100 staff members of All India Radio and Doordarshan Srinagar Vaccinated today.As per reports all vaccinated successfully with Covisheild .
The Director All india radio srinagsr.Director Doordarshan srinagar.Head of News section .Head of shaherbeen Head of Engineering Section and other staff members of AIR DDK Srinagar.
As per reports team of Dr’s from Medical zone Batmaloo Srinagar organised a camp for vaccination today at AIR Srinagar and DD Srinagar .It is worth to mention that last year more than 10 officers of AIR and DDK srinagar were Covid 19 positive .
Nothing found, had inputs about presence of militants, say officials; House partially damaged
SRINAGAR,, APRIL 07 :
Security Forces called off the 14-hour long operation at Gulab Bagh area on Srinagar outskirts after no contact with the militants was established.
Officials told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that joint teams of army, SoG police and Quick Reaction Team (QRT) of CRPF laid a siege at Shah-e-Hamdan Colony, Gulab Bagh at 10 pm on Tuesday. “There were inputs about the militant presence in the area. Lights were installed while the operation was put on halt due to darkness. In the morning, many warning shots were fired. Teargas shells were also lobbed at the suspected house, however, there was no retaliation and no contact with the militants was established,” officials said.
On Tuesday evening, a senior security official had told KNO that one to two militants are believed to be trapped in a residential house. After searching the house, nothing was found, an official said.
Witnesses said that the house that belonged to a person who is working in Saudi Arabi, suffered partial damage. “Window panes of the house were broken while the front wall witnessed minor damage,” they said.
A security official said that after thorough search of the house, the operation was later called off at around 11 am—(KNO)
To take a firsthand appraisal and review the effectiveness of Block Diwas platform in redressal of public grievances, besides to assess the on-ground coverage under various government services and welfare schemes being provided to the people, Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha today participated in Block Diwas at Hiranagar, Kathua.
The visit of Lt Governor proved to be yet another milestone in augmenting the water supply in the region, with Lt Governor e-inaugurating 04 Water Supply Schemes worth Rs 7.52 cr, besides other developmental projects costing Rs 90 lakhs.
At the outset, the Lt Governor inspected the stalls displayed by various departments, and enquired about the grievances received and the measures taken by the respective departments for redressal of the same.
Speaking on the significance of Block Diwas, the Lt Governor observed that the aim of the public outreach initiative being organized across the UT is to address the day to day grievances and issues of the people by making the public welfare services of various departments available at one place.
The Lt Governor asked the concerned officers to be well versed with all the welfare schemes and put in their best efforts to mitigate the problems of people, and be sensitive to their issues. “Strict action shall be taken against officials not attending to public grievances”, he asserted.
The Lt Governor said that the government is putting untiring efforts to remove all difficulties and making services & welfare schemes easily accessible to citizens.
“Government is working on the mission mode to ensure availability of basic necessities viz. roads, drinking water and electricity, to every citizen of the UT, besides working earnestly towards bringing substantial Industrial Investment, promotion of tourism and creating employment avenues for youth. We are committed to ensure 100% saturation of all Farmers’ welfare, Social Security and beneficiary oriented schemes so that the benefits of such schemes reach to every eligible beneficiary. Besides, providing better livelihood to farmers by tapping the vast potential of the agriculture and horticulture sector in J&K is the focused area of the government”, the Lt Governor maintained.
The Lt Governor observed that the Government is sensitive towards the issues of farmers and population living in border areas. Their issues would be resolved on priority. Various farm centric initiatives have been taken by the government, several laws have been relaxed wherein farmers can now avail benefits from different government sponsored welfare schemes and programmes which were previously not available owing to restrictive enactments, said the Lt Governor.
High density plantation is now a reality in Jammu region also. Now, any farmer can develop orchards and can go for High density plantation irrespective of their land holding. Youth would be given every possible assistance and handholding to become successful entrepreneurs, he added.
The Lt Governor said that a number of initiatives have been launched and many others are in pipeline for overall development in every village and block of the UT.
Referring to the release of 50% revenue and capital outlay, the Lt Governor said that it is for the first time that funds have been released on the very 1st day of the financial year.
The recently approved highest ever budget of Rs.1,08,621 crore for the Union Territory witnessed a quantum jump in the allocation of Budget in all sectors, including PWD(R&B), Power, PHE, Tourism etc, he added.
Emphasizing on empowering and strengthening the grassroots democratic setup, the Lt Governor underscored that Functions, Functionaries, Finance, and Framework help operate a Panchayat effectively.
I assure that every Panchayat will get Rs 1 crore for development purposes, which will be double from the previous allocation. All remaining Panchayats will get Panchayat Bhavans at the earliest, maintained the Lt Governor.
A provision of Rs 10 crore has been kept for every DDC, besides funds are being allocated to Panchayats and Blocks, he added.
DDC members and PRI representatives who were present on the occasion in large numbers expressed their gratitude towards the Lt Governor led UT Administration for empowering the 3-tier Panchayati Raj system in J&K. They also extended their full support and cooperation to the Government’s efforts for complete grassroots development in the UT.
DDC Chairperson Kathua, Col Mahan Singh and DDC Vice Chairperson, Raghunandan Singh spoke on the occasion and thanked the government for being sensitive to the hopes and aspirations of the people, besides apprising the Lt Governor about the developmental needs and public issues of the region.
While addressing the issues and demands of the area projected by the public representatives present there, the Lt Governor directed the Deputy Commissioner to prepare a comprehensive development plan addressing the urgent developmental needs of the region so that necessary measures can be taken in this direction.
He further directed the concerned officers for speeding up the process of distribution of Golden cards under SEHAT scheme.
Underlining the importance of Jan Bhagidari, the Lt Governor termed the Government as a facilitator to the people. He said that people and the public representatives must themselves decide what development should be done in their area on the basis of their needs and requirements, and monitor the execution of the work.
On employment generation, the Lt Governor said that the unprecedented new Industrial development scheme of Rs 28,400 cr would generate more employment. We are also expecting to bring in investment of Rs 20,000 cr-Rs 25000 cr in coming two years. 24,000 posts are being filled through the accelerated recruitment process.
Terming transparency, accountability, and responsiveness as the core objective of the government, the Lt Government said that regular review and monitoring of the progress of development works is being done at all administrative levels. Now people can also monitor the utilisation of funds and the execution of development works, he added.
All the departments have been directed to make their respective e-office functional at the earliest for establishing paperless and minimum human interface governance, the Lt Governor said.
To address the issue of water supply in the area, the Lt Governor said that 100 % saturation under ‘Har Ghar Nal se Jal’ in 13 districts of the UT would be completed this year.
Underscoring the measures being undertaken for meeting the developmental aspirations of the people, the Lt Governor observed that Dry port and cold storage being established in Kathua would give fillip to the socio-economic development of the region, besides generating substantial employment for the local youth.
He also noted that, recently 12 villages of Hiranagar tehsil and 5 villages of Marheen tehsil have been declared as border villages taking the total to 90 villages (51 in Hiranagar and 39 in Marheen).
Referring to the ongoing celebrations of Azaadi ka Amrut Mahotsav, the Lt Governor said that the Stories of courage and valour of brave-hearts like Brig. Rajinder Singh, Maqbool Sherwani, Ms Mali and other unsung heroes of every area would be told in schools, and are being included in curriculum so that the young generation would know about their sacrifices.
The Lt Governor also urged all eligible people to get vaccinated, besides following all the precautionary measures and COVID related SoPs.
Later, the Lt Governor handed over various certificates and sanction letters to beneficiaries under different departmental schemes as a token of service delivery to be ensured by the Government in such camps regularly.
Hearing Aid, Financial Aid under Marriage Assistance Scheme, Pass books under Ladli Beti scheme, Micro debit cards, Tablet computers to meritorious girls and teachers, Schools bags were provided to the beneficiaries on the occasion.
The Lt Governor also handed over the keys of subsidized Laser Land Leveler and Combine Harvester to the beneficiaries.
Meanwhile, the Lt Governor held interaction with DDC members, BDC Chairpersons, members, Sarpanches, PRI representatives and listened to their issues and demands.
Dr. Raghav Langer, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu; Sh. Rahul Yadav, Deputy Commissioner, Kathua; public representatives and large number of people from all walks of life were also present on the occasion.
The projects which were e-inaugurated today included Water Supply Scheme Gadyal at Panchayat Gadyal, Block Hiranagar costing Rs 1.15 cr; Water Supply Scheme, Kore Quasba at Panchayat Kore Quasba, Block Hiranagar, costing Rs 2.16 cr; Water Supply Scheme, Kheri Maltha at Panchayat Kheri Maltha, Block Dinga-Amb costing Rs 1.88 cr; Water Supply Scheme, Satoora at Panchayat Satoora, at the cost of Rs 2.33 cr; CFC building of RDD under BADP Model Village Scheme at Kore Punnu, Marheen worth Rs 50 lakhs besides, Upgradation of Government High School in Marheen done at the cost of Rs 40 lakhs.
Inspector General of Police Kashmir Zone Vijay Kumar on Wednesday said that he has issued written directions to all district SSPs to take legal action based on facts in case any media person comes closer to encounter site or “law and order” situation.
“I have already issued written directions to all districts SSPs yesterday. District SSPs will take legal action on facts,” the IGP told GNS.
When asked who comes under this Advisory, IGP said it implies for both National as well as for local media outlets.
Yesterday he said that the media persons should do not carry any live coverage of any encounter or law and order situation.
“The freedom of speech and expression is subject to reasonable restrictions that should not violate other person’s right to life guaranteed under Article 21 or putting the national security in jeopardy,” he said, adding, “Do not interfere in professional and bonafide duty of police and security forces at encounter site.”
He said no operational content should be carried which is likely to incite violence or contains anything against “maintenance of law and order or which promotes anti-national sentiment.” (GNS)
The media bodies in Kashmir on Wednesday expressed anguish over the comments attributed to Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir, saying that if this is a part of the official policy of police then it appears to be a tactic to coerce journalists into not reporting facts on the ground.
The statement in this regard issued to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) was endorsed by Journalist Federation of Kashmir (JFK), Kashmir Editors Guild (KEG), Kashmir Working Journalists Association (KWJA), Kashmir Press Photographers Association (KPPA), Kashmir News Television Journalist Association (KNTJA), Kashmir Video Journalists Association (KVJA), Kashmir Press Club (KPC), Kashmir Journalists Association (KJA), Anjuman Urdu Sahafat, Kashmir Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ), Jammu and Kashmir Press Association (JKPA) and JK Editors Forum (JKEF).
Pertinently, reports quoted IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar as saying that “media persons should not come closer to encounter sites and law and order situations and they should not carry live coverage of these situations. The freedom of speech and expression is subject to reasonable restrictions. They should not violate other people’s right to guarantee life or put national security in jeopardy…no operational context should be carried which is likely to incite violence or which promotes anti-national sentiments.”
The statement attributed to the IGP has created anguish among the media fraternity, the statement said, adding that “if this is a part of the official policy of police then it appears to be a tactic to coerce journalists into not reporting facts on the ground. It also seems to be a part of the string of measures taken by the authorities to suppress freedom of press in the region. Summoning journalists to police stations, filing FIRs and seeking informal explanations for their work has intensified in the past two years.”
“Journalists in Kashmir have worked under tremendous pressure for the past several decades and despite facing threats to life, liberty and property, they upheld the principles of journalism and reporting.”
“The media in Kashmir are aware of the journalistic guidelines and ethics or situations like encounters, law and order situations and have always upheld these principles. Covering and reporting law and order situations in the region is one of the basic requirements for most news organisations and hence an essential part of the professional role of media professionals. Barring them from covering such events would mean stopping them from delivering their professional duties.”
“Press freedom is the cornerstone of a democracy and any attack on it undermines the democratic setup of which media is the fourth pillar. Any such attack on press freedom and journalism is highly distressful.”
In this backdrop, journalist bodies in Kashmir urged IGP Kashmir to put the record straight and clarify the statement attributed to him, the statement added—(KNO)
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