Jammu and Kashmir

Continuing its efforts against drug peddling, Handwara Police arrested one peddler and recovered narcotics in Vilgam area.

On March 10.2023, a police party of Police Station Vilgam, while on naka duty at Village Hardoona, apprehended one person who had attempted to avoid the police party in a suspicious manner.

On search, around 10 grams of Brown Sugar like substance was recovered from his possession. The person has been identified as Abdul Jabar Zargar S/o Abdul Gani R/o Hardoona.

In relation to this, FIR No.18/2023 U/S 8/21 NDPS Act registered in PS Vilgam and investigation initiated.

ANANTNAG : The Director, Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI), Ajaz Ahmad Bhat today conducted an extensive tour of South Kashmir and interacted with youth and aspiring entrepreneurs at ITI Anantnag.

The Director visited a number of business units in the area to encourage enterprising entrepreneurs. He also felicitated Heena Rashid from district Pulwama for starting a trout fish farm at such a young age and inspiring women to pursue entrepreneurship as a career.

The visit was part of the outreach initiative of Director JKEDI to understand youth aspirations and make them aware of Government schemes.

During the past few months, he has held interactions with youth across the length and breadth of the Union Territory of J&K. These interactions are also significant as the Institute is planning to come up with various programs and initiatives for the youth of UT.

The Department of Industries and Commerce is in the process of revising the Startup Policy 2018. This is in order to make it more inclusive and friendly for the startups from J&K and envisions creating 3000 startups in five years.

“India is coming up as the favorite startup destination of the world and I firmly believe that J&K has huge potential and youth who choose entrepreneurship as a career have the power to change the economy of the UT. I have visited almost every district in J&K and interacted with youth. There is no shortage of passion and willingness to try something new. The Government of J&K is not behind and is offering these enterprising youth a number of schemes and is ready to offer any support,” said Director, JKEDI.

The Institute is working very hard to create a sustainable entrepreneurship ecosystem in J&K. We have organized a number of events in this direction, the latest being the first-ever startup leadership conclave for youth, he added.

Sneha Kumar who is undergoing a fellowship from the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India was also present on the occasion. Her interaction with the Director focused on the latest entrepreneurship initiatives and how they can work jointly with JKEDI. The Director accepted her request to provide faculty for an Entrepreneurship Development Program for ITI pass outs.

The Director during his interactions also stressed on the fact to undertake activities which are innovative and technology enabled. There is saturation in traditional activities and the need of the hour is to take calculated risks and provide meaningful solutions to the problems of society which will in turn improve the quality of life of the people, he added.

He was of the opinion that Startup friendly initiatives do not always mean providing large sums of money. JKEDI will try to help the youth by providing a startup friendly ecosystem where interactions with successful entrepreneurs and angel investors will be a norm. Support in business strategy and connecting with mentors from across the country will be arranged. The incubation centre at the Institute will work towards instilling an entrepreneurial spirit in youth of the UT.

Altaf Ahmad Dar, Supervisor ITI Anantnag; Arif Ahmad Khan, Communication Officer; Raiyees Manzoor, District Nodal Officer; Saba Nazir, Assistant Faculty; Imtiyaz Ahad Malla, Associate Project Manager from JKEDI among others were present on the occasion.

BARAMULLA : The Deputy Commissioner (DC) Baramulla, Dr Syed Sehrish Asgar today convened a meeting of concerned officers here to discuss the possession of land and other related matters regarding construction of National Highway Four Laning under Package A1 and AB from Narbal Pattan and Tappar Sangrama.

During the meeting, a threadbare discussion was held wherein the DC asserted that the project is of strategic importance and stressed upon the concerned officers to redouble their efforts so that the project is completed in a time bound manner.

Discussing various issues related to the project, the DC directed the officers of Revenue Department to handover the possessed land in first instance to Beacon Authorities so that the work is assigned to them and accordingly the other formalities are carried out including disbursement of funds for land acquisition.

Dr Sehrish also directed R&B Department to make auction within 10 days duration for chopping down of trees falling under A1 and AB package besides directed Divisional Forest Officer to make a detailed Project Report for planting more trees so that the deficiency of trees is made up and beautification of the road and afforestation is not compromised.

The DC also passed on spot directions to resolve the issues hindering the project.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Sopore,  Tariq Ahmad Reshi; Assistant Commissioner Revenue Baramulla,  Sub Divisional Magistrate Pattan, Sub Divisional Magistrate Gulmarg, OC BEACON besides all concerned functionaries of Revenue,  R&B and Social Forestry Departments were present in the meeting.

Earlier, the DC chaired a meeting with Revenue officers to discuss the change of Land use in the district.

On the occasion, threadbare discussion was held with regard to the process of change in land use from agricultural to non-agricultural activities in the district.

While taking a comprehensive review, DC enquired about the status of NOCs being issued in favour of applicants and applications received till date besides their reporting and follow up status by the concerned departments.

Dr Sehrish Asgar directed the concerned line departments to ensure timely issuance of NOCs to the applicants after proper verification of documents and rules under land conversion.

KUPWARA : On the directions of Deputy Commissioner Kupwara, ACR Kupwara, Aijaz Ahmad Bhat today chaired a meeting to review the progress of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) in the district.

The meeting held a threadbare discussion on various issues including facilitating development of vibrant & sustainable income oriented farmers collectives, Reducing of cost of production, Increasing per unit productivity, better market linkages and enhancing income. Besides, support to new FPOs for 5 years in management, input supply, production, procurement, processing & value addition, market linkages, credit linkages and capacity building for Agri-entrepreneurship skills were also discussed in detail.
On the occasion, the ACR directed for strengthening of the interface between the department and FPOs to ensure proper handholding of the farmer entrepreneurs. He urged for circulation of success stories of the FPOs so that more and more unemployed youth get motivated to become agriculture entrepreneurs and earn their livelihood.
Meanwhile, the officers from different departments highlighted the scope of FPOs towards livelihood and income generation. They also interacted with the entrepreneurs who shared their experience with them. The officers assured for every possible assistance from their respective departments for handholding of the entrepreneurs.
Member Secy-FPO CSS, Zubair Wasil, Chief Agriculture Officer, G.M Dobhi, CAHO, M. Ashraf Malik, officers from Horticulture, Sheep Husbandry, KVK, Lead Bank, besides, Agriculture entrepreneurs, representatives from SFAC, NAFED and other concerned attended the meeting.

KUPWARA: All J&K Transporters Confederation today organized a mega meeting of All India National Auto, Taxi, Bus Transporters Federation and Bhartiya Private Transport Mazdoor Maha Sangh here at Town Hall Kupwara.

Deputy Commissioner Kupwara, Dr. Doifode Sagar Dattatray was chief guest at the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, the Deputy Commissioner said that the transporters is an important segment of the society and the District Administration is always committed to uplift the transport sector in the district to ensure better services to the people.
He said that as the tourist flow has increased manifold in the district in recent years, the need is to provide quality transport services so that tourists coming from outside the UT are able to travel and explore different places including ALC areas of the district. The DC said that the District Administration is always available for hand holding of those youth who are willing to start their own business ventures including purchase of commercial vehicles under Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP). He said Government schemes like E-Sharam and Health Cards are also aimed to protect the welfare and future of the youth especially transporters and workers.
Earlier, President , All JK Transporters Association, Mohd Shafi put forth various demands including establishment of transporters welfare board and other issues pertaining to the transporters of Kupwara district.
The Deputy Commissioner heard them patiently and assured for resolution of their genuine demands.
ARTO Kupwara, Anees Ahmad; Representatives from different Transport Associations outside UT, besides, local transporters were present on the occasion.

Srinagar : The authorities on Saturday suspended Executive Officer Municipal Committee Handwara, who was also having additional charge of MC Kupwara over dereliction of duties and lack of administrative acumen.

According to an order issued by deputy commissioner Kupwara, a copy of which lies with *Kashmir News Service (KNS)*, executive officer MC Handwara Farooq Ahmad has been suspended with immediate effect.

As per the order the officer has been attached to the officer of deputy commissioner Kupwara while additional deputy commissioner has been appointed as enquiry officer into the alleged misconduct of executive officer MC Handwara

The action has been taken in view of the complaints of grave issues with respect to mismanagement and lack of administrative acumen and failure to provide necessary public services.

Additional deputy commissioner Kupwara has been directed to conduct a thorough enquiry into the matter & furnish his report within 15 days.

As per the order tehsildar Machil Imran Ahmad has been asked to hold the charge of Chief Executive officer MC Kupwara & tehsildar Handwara Shahbaz Ahmad shall hold the charge of Executive Officer MC Handwara in addition to their own duties. (KNS)

Srinagar : As the world becomes increasingly digitized, the threat of cybercrime looms larger than ever before and in an effort to educate and inform the public about the dangers of Cybercrime, the Cyber police in Srinagar organized a special cyber awareness program under the supervision of SP Cyber Ifhtikar Talib at the Cyber Police Station here on Saturday.

The program was designed to provide attendees with a comprehensive understanding of various types of cybercrime, including phishing, identity theft, and online fraud.

As the event drew to a close, participants expressed their gratitude to the police for organizing such an informative and impactful program. Many pledged to take the lessons learned at the event and apply them in their daily lives, helping to create a safer and more secure digital landscape for all.

Talking to media on the sidelines of the Cyber Awareness Program, SP Cyber Police Kashmir, as per GNS, said, they celebrated Thana Divas at the Cyber Police Station, just like they do every year at every police station across the country.

“This day is dedicated to honoring the hard work and dedication of the police force who work tirelessly to ensure the safety and security of our society”, he said.

“During the event, we returned more than 100 mobile-phones that we had recovered over the past few months. It was a proud moment for us to see the smile on people’s faces when they received their lost phones back,” he said, adding that this also shows the efficiency and commitment of our police force in tracking down stolen or lost items and returning them to their rightful owners.

“However, the primary objective behind this Thana Divas event was to raise awareness among people about the dangers of cybercrime, with the increasing use of technology in our daily lives, the risk of falling victim to cybercrime has become more significant than ever before”, he said adding “We want to ensure that people are aware of the potential threats and are equipped with the knowledge and skills to protect themselves from such threats.

“For this purpose, we had organized various awareness programs throughout the day, which included interactive sessions and workshops on cybersecurity. We also had experts and professionals from the industry who shared their experiences and insights on how to stay safe in the online world,” he added.

“Overall, the Thana Divas event was a great success, and we hope that it will have a positive impact on society and people will be more aware and cautious when it comes to cybersecurity”, he further said. (GNS)

Srinagar : The health and medical education department on Saturday constituted a five members committee to monitor the exercise of identifying and revisiting illegal appointments in the heath department.

Director finance, heath and medical education department will head the committee as chairman while Additional secretary to the government, heath and medical education department, additional secretary (law), health and medical education department, under secretary to the government, heath and medical education department and section officer, heath and medical education department are the members of the committee.

“Sanction is hereby accorded to the constitution of the committee comprising of following officers to monitor the exercise of identifying/ revisiting the illegal appointments in Health Department as reported by Audit and Inspection Department and all other illegal appointments and take a policy decision once for all to settle the issue by applying a common yard stick to 2274 employees and also take a decision against the officers/officials, who were involved in the illegal appointments in the Health Department,” reads an order issued by the government.

Further more the committee has been asked to submit its report within 30 days from the issuence of order.(KNS)

Srinagar : Chief Education Officer Anantnag has warned private schools of the district not to charge donation and capitation fee from parents at the time of admission after several complaints from parents.

According to a circular issued by CEO Anantnag, a copy of which lies with the news agency the office has also received complaints that private schools have kept text books available at particular bookshops in violation of the norms.

“It has come to the notice of this office that some private schools of the district instead of implementing government orders and circulars issued from time to time with regard to fee structures, common curricular and other activities have framed their own bylaws, contradicting government orders and circulars,” the circular reads.

CEO has also directed all recognised private schools to implement orders and circulars of the government issued from time to time and act accordingly.

“No private school shall charge any kind of capitation, admission fee or donation as per government order and Right to Education Act 2009,” it reads.

It also states no private school is allowed to sell any kind of books to students through their tuck shops.

CEO Anantnag has further stated there should be common curriculum in schools for the upcoming academic session from class 6th onwards as per the New Education Policy 2020.

“The instructions are to be adhered in letter and spirit and if any school is found making violation of Government orders or circulars, action as warranted under rules shall be initiated against the erring school,” the circular reads.

It reads the schools will face de-recognition in case they are found violating the government orders. “The action against erring schools may include their cancellation of recognition and registration without any further notice.”—(KNO)

Srinagar : At least two boys were left wounded after bitten by stray dogs in Tekipora Lolab area in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, officials said.

They told that the duo namely Uzair Ahmad Khan (9), son of Abdul Gaffar Khan and Henan Ahmad son of Abdul Ahad Rather was bitten by stray dogs this morning.

The duo was immediately taken to SDH Sogam for treatment, they said. (GNS)