Month: August 2018

Why J&K Tourism lags far behind Kerala and Gujarat?

Editor

In 2017, a record 10 million foreign tourists visited India. As many as 103 million domestic tourists visited the picnic spots and health resorts within India, the same year. The hospitality sector contributes 6.88 percent to India’s GDP and is estimated to earn 27 billion dollars, the next year. It was the Incredible India campaign launched by Government of India in 2002 that helped India pitch itself as a high-end destination. In fiscal 2017-198, Ministry of Tourism spent Rs 300 crore to promote the campaign on various media. Central Tourism…

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Vodafone, Idea completes merger, creates India’s largest mobile operator

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The merger of Idea Cellular and Vodafone India has been completed, creating India’s biggest telecom service provider with over 408 million subscribers, the two companies said on Friday. A new board has been constituted for the merged entity “Vodafone Idea Ltd’ with 12 directors (including six independent directors) and Kumar Mangalam Birla as its Chairman. The board has appointed Balesh Sharma as the CEO, the companies said in a joint statement. The combination will have all India revenue market share of 32.2% and take the numero uno slot in nine…

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Hearing over Article 35A adjourned till January 2019

Editor

The Supreme Court of India has adjourned the hearing of a series of petitions regarding Article 35(A) again. The case is now listed for early January 2019, reports reaching from Delhi said. The apex court’s three-judge bench presided over by the chief justice of India Justice Deepak Mishra heard the arguments of the petitioners and the counsels for the defendants, the J&K government and the Attorney General, Government of India and finally deferred the hearing of the case till January 2019. Now the Supreme Court will take up the case…

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Four years on, detailed objections not filed in Article 35A case

Editor

Even as the state government has approached the Supreme Court seeking adjournment of the hearing into the petitions challenging validity of Article 35A, it has chosen not to file detailed objections to the main petition yet. The filing of the objections would have revealed J&K’s stand vis-a-vis the constitutional provision protecting state’s hereditary state subject laws. The J&K Government’s main ground for delaying the submission of detailed objections is that the main petition, ‘We the Citizens’ versus the Union of India and others, is still at the “admission stage”. Besides,…

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Kashmir On Edge: Strike halts life across Kashmir, Chenab Valley, Pirpanjal

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Article 35A Row: Protests across Kashmir, restrictions in Srinagar parts, Separatists caged, SC hearing today Normal life was badly hit in Kashmir, Chenab valley and Pir Panjal region on Thursday due to the unprecedented shutdown following a strike called by Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) against the challenging of Article 35-A, the hearing of which is scheduled for Friday in the Supreme Court (SC). While authorities imposed restriction in Srinagar downtown, people largely observed civil curfew in protest against the attempts of tinkering with Article 35-A that provides special rights and privileges…

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Attacking families of militants pure revenge: Joint Resistance Leadership

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Joint Resistance Leadership Thursday condemned the ploys being employed by the authorities to punish, intimidate, harass and humiliate the families of militants. In a joint statement, the JRL, comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Miwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik said such measures will only worsen the situation and turn it ugly and out of control. The JRL said arbitrary arrest of 70-year-old AssadullahNaikoo, father of HizbulMujahideen commander ReyazNaikoo and two brothers of another militant Lateef Tiger, burning down the homes of two armed youth Shahjahan and Syed Naveed in Shopian…

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Seven relatives of policemen abducted in Kashmir, police to launch manhunt

Editor

Militants abducted two more relatives of Jammu and Kashmir policemen on Friday taking the number to 11 within the last three days, an official said. Former chief minister Omar Abdullah has termed the development “worrisome”. Even when the security forces were working their strategy to recover the hostages safely, a statement purportedly issued by Hizbul operational commander Riyaz Naikoo, on the social media said that henceforth the militants would follow “an eye for an eye policy”. “Police has compelled us to follow the course of an eye for an eye…

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Satya Pal Malik new Guv is “Our Man”, J&K BJP Chief Ravinder Raina boasts on camera

Editor

Days after Satya Pal Malik assumed charge as the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, a video has emerged of BJP state president Ravinder Raina controversially claiming that the new governor is “their man” and that they did not want former governor NN Vohra to continue in the post. “The governor who has come now is our man… We did not want Vohra to continue,” Mr Raina, who is known to be outspoken, can be heard saying in the video. Governor is a constitutional post. This is not the first controversial…

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Shutdown, Protests held across Kashmir, Rajouri, Poonch ahead of hearing on Article 35A

Editor

Protests were held on Thursday in Tangdhar and Tral township of north and south Kashmir districts of Kupwara and Pulwama respectively to support Article 35-A which has been challenged in the Supreme Court. Reports said that scores of residents of Tral township, including members of Sikh community, staged a protest in the main town against attempts to scrap Article 35-A, which grants special privileges to residents of Jammu and Kashmir. People from all walks of life, including trade unions, took part in the protest. The protesters, carrying placards and banners,…

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Rupee opens at 70.68 lifetime low, falls 18 paise against US dollar

Editor

The rupee continued its downward slide against the US dollar on Thursday, falling to a new record low in opening trade at 70.68 per US dollar. At 9.29 am, the partially convertible rupee was trading 18 paise or 0.27% lower than Wednesday’s close at 70.77 against the US dollar. Intra-day, however, the rupee fell as low as 70.80 against the US dollar at 9.18 am. On Wednesday, the rupee witnessed its second biggest single-day crash since August 13, when the unit crumbled 110 paise or 1.6%. The rupee previously had…

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