Month: February 2016

Killing militant will bring better reward

Editor

Jammu and Kashmir has enhanced the cash reward for killing militants in encounters. Any most wanted militant commander now carries a hefty bounty of Rs 12.5 lakh on his head. The order to enhance the reward for killing militants was issued almost two months ago during the PDP-BJP rule when the Home Department was under then Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. The reward for killing a most wanted militant listed in “A plus plus” category has been enhanced from Rs 10 lakh to 12.5 lakh. The cash reward for all…

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Spurious medicine trade continues in JK: DAK

Editor

Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) Tuesday said trade of spurious drugs was continuing unabated in Jammu and Kashmir and that nothing was being done to curb the menace. Alarmed by the reports of widespread presence of the spurious drugs, President DAK faction led by DrNisarul Hassan in a statement said JK has turned to be safe bastion for trade in substandard and fake drugs. “Everyday patients suffer and even die because of this menace. In a recent report, an anti-diabetic drug, Blisto-4MF, manufactured in Jammu was found spurious and the quantity…

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National Child Labour Project fails to takeoff in JK

Editor

The National Child Labour Project (NCLP), an anti-child labour flagship programme of the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment, has failed to take off in Jammu and Kashmir. NCLP was implemented in Srinagar and Udhampur in 1996 but due to resource crunch the project could not be implemented in rest of the state. Ghulam Rasool Kumar, Deputy Labour Commissioner (Kashmir) while talking to us said, “Labour Department is facing hurdles in terms of conducting a pre-implementation survey due to lack of manpower. The Labour Department does not have adequate staff to…

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Sham Lal lashes out at PDP, BJP over delay in government formation

Editor

Senior vice-president of the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) Sham Lal Sharma lashed out at the BJP and the PDP at a public meeting in Akhnoor today. He said both parties had created political uncertainty and various factions within the parties were speaking on divergent lines. The JKPCC leader said both parties should clarify to the people who was responsible for the Governor’s rule. He said the parties had taken a lot of time after the elections to decide on government formation and the same was the case…

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Kashmiri walnut to be declared organic, officially

Editor

Walnut in Kashmir is set to get organic certificate as the Horticulture Department has observed that most of the walnut grown in the Valley is raised organically with no chemical given to it. Organic certified crops have been in high demand as pesticides and fertilisers are not used and sprays with carcinogenic elements are not given to the crops. The department has formed clusters in each district, the number of which depends on the Chief Horticulture Officer. There will be between five and 10 members in each group who will…

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Valley shuts on Afzal’s death anniversary

Editor

The authorities had imposed restrictions in parts of Srinagar city while a shutdown was observed across the Valley today on the third death anniversary of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. The police said the situation remained peaceful across the Valley. The security forces were on high alert across Kashmir in view of the strike and shutdown call by separatists. “There is no report of any violence in the Valley,” said a police spokesman. In Srinagar, police and paramilitary personnel had imposed restrictions in old city and volatile Maisuma to thwart…

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Private medical centres, labs continue to fleece patients

Editor

The tall claims of the government of providing better health facilities at the doorsteps of people exist only on papers as poor patients continue to depend on private medical centres, clinics and laboratories even for conducting simple tests by paying exorbitant charges. A heavy rush of patients mostly from far-flung areas can be seen at these private medical centres near government hospitals in different localities in the winter capital. “There is no care for poor patients like us in the government-run hospitals, which are generally overcrowded. The tests like CT…

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Fate of PDP-BJP alliance rests on Budget doles

Editor

Mehbooba Mufti pushes for more financial assistance to the state The Sangh Parivar has decided to give more time to the Peoples Democratic Party to take a decision on restitching the alliance with the BJP as their backchannel meetings are yielding encouraging results. Although it was earlier decided that the final decision on forming the government with the PDP would be taken at a meeting on February 10 in Delhi, the outcome of the recent informal meetings has renewed chances of breaking the impasse. Sources said that at the backchannel…

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Mehbooba Mufti can’t keep JK guessing, says Omar

Editor

National Conference leader and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah, on February 7, made it clear that his party is not ready to support BJP in case the PDP-BJP alliance snaps in the state. Abdullah also said that PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti must break her silence as she cannot keep the entire state guessing on government formation. “Mehbooba Mufti has been quiet for long and she can no longer remain silent. She must clarify her stand on two-three issues and clear the air as to what are those…

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Soldier trapped in Siachen avalanche found alive

Editor

In what is nothing short of a miracle, one of the 10 soldiers buried in the avalanche at the Sonam post in the Siachen glacier last Wednesday was found alive in the rescue operations at the 19,600-feet altitude on Monday. In the rescue operations, Lance Naik Hanamanthappa Koppad (resident of Betadur, Dharwad district of Karnataka) has been found alive. All the other soldiers regrettably are no more with us,” said Northern Army Command chief Lt-General D S Hooda late on Monday night. “The medical condition of L/N Hanamanthappa is critical…

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