The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval to the revised cost estimate for the sub-project Udhampur to Ramban Section in J&K, approved by the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) for development of four laning of National Highways under National Highways Development Project (NHDP) Phase II. Approval of the investment/award decision for the sub-project of four laning of Udhampur-Ramban Section of NH-1A (now NH-44) of approximate length of 40.0 kms on EPC mode is at a revised cost estimate of Rs. 2136.97 crore,…
Read MoreMonth: September 2015
BJP leader demands trifurcation of state
Senior BJP leader Prof Hari Om on Wednesday demanded trifurcation of the state into Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh and a separate homeland within the Valley for internally displaced persecuted Kashmiri Pandits, saying a four-way split of the state had become absolutely imperative. “Trifurcation of the state and bifurcation of Kashmir is a must to restrict the area of strife to the Kashmir valley and enable people of Jammu and Ladakh and Kashmiri Hindus to shape and control fully their political and economic future within India and under the Indian Constitution,…
Read MoreStudy reveals unique behaviour of captured wild animals
With man-animal conflict on the rise in Kashmir, a first-of-its-kind scientific study has thrown light on the newer aspects of this conflict and the behaviour of the captured wild animals in the region. The research on captured Asiatic black bears at Dachigam by four wildlife scientists has revealed that wild animals venture out from the protected areas to human-dominated landscape during early springs and late autumn months in search of food as these areas have availability of high quality food than their natural habitats, which is forest and protected areas.…
Read MoreExperts stress on importance of cleanliness in life
On the second day of the ongoing workshop on the theme “Cleanliness and healthy lifestyle”, being organised by the NSS unit of GGM Science College, two lecture were delivered by the resource persons from the Health Department here today. The resource persons were Dr Vinod Sharma, Block Medical Officer (BMO), Akhnoor, and Dr Parvesh Kumar from Hiranagar. Dr Ajeet Angral, Nodal Principal, Jammu division colleges, was the chief guest. Dr Parvesh Kumar gave a power-point presentation on “Healthy lifestyle”. He expressed in detail about the self-responsibility through self-employment, self-awareness and…
Read MoreWhy Kashmir Needs A Literature Of Its Own?
GHULAM MOHAMMAD KHAN The former US admiral and commander of NATO in Europe James Stavridis’ interesting injunction to read and closely scrutinize Russian Literature in order to get to the ‘soul of Russia’; its public behaviour and political actions to the people and politicians of Europe in general and America in particular, vindicates the relevance and authenticity of ‘Literature’, the discipline otherwise adjudged by many as something simulated or apocryphal. To figure out any possibility of getting closer to the otherwise cryptic Kremlin foreign policy, Stavridis preferred the reading of…
Read MorePolitics of Symbols
A. G. NOORANI Section 144 of the Constitution of Jammu & Kashmir says in the plainest of words: “The Flag of the State shall be rectangular in shape and red in colour with three rectangular white vertical strips of equal width next to the staff and white plough in the middle with handle facing the strips. The ratio of the length of the flag to its width shall be 3 : 2”. All the holders of office under this Constitution are required (Ss. 40, 64, 97 and the Fifth Schedule)…
Read MoreContractors, Govt at loggerheads over road guarantee rider
As the state government is adamant on inclusion of three-year maintenance guarantee clause on all future tenders for construction and black-topping of roads in Jammu and Kashmir, a strong lobby of contractors is making efforts to ‘sabotage’ the directive to prevent action against them, if found using poor quality material. Under the clause, those who execute road works will be liable for action, if there is damage or use of poor material is detected within the guarantee period. A source in the Public Works Department (PWD) said contractors were using…
Read MoreMarkets flooded with fake Pashmina in kashmir
As CM calls for GI Certification Despite Chief Minister Mufti Sayeed recently expressing concern over local markets swarming with fakes in the name of Kashmir Handicraft, famous handmade Pashmina shawls in Kashmir are falling prey to machine made fakes. As it becomes difficult for a customer, especially tourists, to distinguish between an original Kashmiri Pashmina shawl and a ‘fake’ one, the duplicate shawls, manufactured mainly in Punjab, are openly tagged and sold as authentic Kashmiri shawls in many showrooms within and outside the valley. The Pashmina shawl weavers, who have…
Read MoreWater supply in Jammu hit as PHE daily wagers go on strike
As the PDP-BJP coalition government has failed to make any commitment on regularisation of services of daily wagers working in the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department, workers today started an indefinite strike, which affected drinking water supply in city. Daily wagers are the backbone of the distribution system. Under the banner of the All J&K PHE, ITI-Trained & CP Workers Association, workers alleged that successive governments have betrayed them despite the fact that they are working with dedication to keep the system functional. “We have been working in the department…
Read MoreWould Kashmir’s autumnal grandeur be lost to urbanization greed?
As ripening paddy fields impart a magical golden-brown magnificence to the countryside, the soothing autumnal sun shines to confirm that the season of plenty has arrived in Kashmir – as an environmental disaster looms. From paddy, maize, apples, grapes and pears – all the yearly labour of local farmers and orchardists is readying to be harvested. “Almost all the marriages ceremonies in the past would be held after the harvesting period in the Valley,” Nisar Hussain, 64, a retired chief engineer, told IANS. “The poor farmer would get his return…
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