Reacting to the army chief’s statement on Kashmir, former union minister and senior Congress leader Saifuddin Soz Sunday said it has evoked considerable “alarm” in Kashmir. In a statement issued Soz said, “One does not understand why the General was drawn into making an extremely political and controversial statement which has added a new dimension to the strife in Kashmir,” he said. “Kashmiris have a feeling that the General wants nothing short of the RSS prescription on resolution of the Kashmir problem. The assessment in Kashmir is that he (the…
Read MoreMonth: January 2018
Kashmir suffering due to bitter relations between two neighboring countries, must shun ‘Tit for Tat’ policy: Mehbooba Mufti
Batting for resumption of dialogue between India and Pakistan, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today said the confrontation between the two countries was the biggest challenge for the people of J&K who had been the worst victims of their bitter relations. She, however, hoped that the two countries would stop their “tit for tat” policy and go back to the days of friendship, amity and reconciliation witnessed during the regime of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. “The biggest challenge for the people of the state is the confrontation between the…
Read MoreJ&K govt asks its officials, employees to attend Republic Day functions
The PDP-BJP coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir has directed its officials and employees to ensure their attendance in the Republic Day functions in the State. An official order directed all officers of the State Government and Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) to attend the official R-Day functions in the State on January 26 as part of their official duty. The main function would be held at Maulana Azad Stadium in Jammu, the winter capital of the State, where Governor N N Vohra would take salute of the march past. In…
Read MorePeople of Kashmir are being forced to pick up gun: Bilal Kawa’s family
The family and relatives blamed the media for projecting an “innocent civilian” as a “terrorist” and demanded his immediate release. The family members of Bilal Ahmad Kawa ,who was arrested in Delhi in connection with the Red Fort attack case, on Friday termed his arrest illegal and accused police of framing him in a fake case. They also said that he was never absconding and also owns a house in Delhi. The family and relatives blamed the media for projecting an “innocent civilian” as a “terrorist” and demanded his immediate…
Read MoreDelhi and Punjab richest states, Jain wealthiest community: Survey
People in Delhi and Punjab are the richest, with more than 60% of their households in the top wealth quintile. Why is Gujarat like Christians and Delhi like Jains? The analogy has nothing to do with religious beliefs of these two states. However, the comparison holds if one were to compare wealth levels of the population in these two states with that of the two religious groups, on the basis of data from fourth round of the National Family and Health Survey (NFHS-4). The survey was conducted among more than…
Read MoreMental distress in Kashmir
As per the World Health Organisation (WHO), mental health is a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, we cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community. In this positive sense, mental health is the foundation for individual well-being and the effective functioning of the community. According to WHO only one percent of the global workforce works in mental health and the median public expenditure on mental health per person…
Read MoreNational Conference raises Article 370 to corner PDP in Assembly
The National Conference today raked up Articles 370 and 35A of the Indian Constitution in the Legislative Assembly to corner the ruling PDP for entering into an alliance with the BJP. Veteran NC leader Mohammad Shafi Uri, who is a former Finance Minister of the state, initiated the debate on the Budget. As Uri’s debate was more political, PDP minister Imran Raza Ansari intervened for taking up political issues during the Budget debate but he was snubbed by the former. “You are a first-timer in the House. Read rules and…
Read More2666 deaths in 15996 mishaps, Jammu region saw highest road deaths in last 3 years
Jammu district has reported the highest number of casualties, injuries and accidents in the state in the past three years. The state has witnessed 2,666 deaths and 22,021 injuries in 15,996 road accidents in the past three years. The data was released by the Minister in charge of Transport in the Legislative Council on Thursday. The data gave the district-wise number of road accidents and persons killed or injured in the state from 2015 to October 2017. Jammu district reported the highest number of 3,721 accidents which killed 408 persons…
Read MoreWe believe in dialogue, but separatists not forthcoming: Mehbooba Mufti
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Friday hit out at separatists for not participating in the dialogue process initiated by the government of India’s “special representative” Dineshwar Sharma. “The government is making very serious efforts to address grievances of people in Jammu and Kashmir, but it cannot force anybody to talk,” the chief minister said, while replying to the discussion in the legislative council on motion of thanks on the governor’s address. Without naming anyone, the chief minister said: “For dialogue, the government appointed an interlocutor and gave him the rank…
Read MoreBipin Rawat suggests major revamp of education system for J&K
Gen Rawat seeks ‘some’ control over madrasas to check disinformation Social media and government schools in Jammu and Kashmir are spreading “disinformation” resulting in radicalisation of youth, Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat claimed today while calling for “some control” over mosques and madrasas in the state. He said a “major revamp” of the education system was needed in the state to deal with the problem. General Rawat said the issue of exercising some control over mosques and madrasas to check the flow of disinformation was being looked into. Addressing a…
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