Year: 2018

Modi govt ‘Failing On All Fronts’, calls for an alternative narrative: Manmohan Singh

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Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government of failure on all fronts, saying it had led to agrarian distress, economic turmoil and deteriorating relations with neighbouring countries, and called for a national debate on providing an alternative narrative. Speaking at the launch of senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal’s book ‘Shades of Truth–A Journey Derailed’, Singh also charged the government with failure to fulfil a plethora of promises made to the people during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and claimed that national institutions…

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GoI can’t alter Kashmir Dispute by using judiciary: Mirwaiz Umar Farooq

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Hurriyat Conference (M) Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Friday said Government of India (GoI) cannot alter the “disputed status of Kashmir” by using judiciary, executive, armed forces or the Parliament. Addressing a Friday congregation at Jamia Masjid in Srinagar, the Mirwaiz while referring to Article 35-A case in the Supreme Court (SC) said the Indian constitution itself had guaranteed certain special rights to the people of the State till a referendum was conducted. Referring to the statement of the National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval, the Mirwaiz said he had removed…

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J&K’s cost of living highest in India

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The cost of living in Jammu and Kashmir is having much upward trend as the state’s inflation rate is much higher than the average all-India inflation making it the one of the most expensive states for a common man to live. According to monthly Consumer Price Index (CPI) released by the Central Statistics Office, the inflation rate in Jammu and Kashmir for the month of July is 6.16 percent as compared to all-India average of 4.17 percent year-on-year. Experts attribute the higher inflation rate to the fact that J&K is…

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Why gay sex order of Supreme Court is not applicable to J&K

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Though yesterday’s Supreme Court judgment partly struck down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and legalised consensual gay sex, the LGBT+ community in Jammu and Kashmir remains deprived of its benefits. The IPC does not automatically extend to Jammu and Kashmir as the state is governed by its separate constitution and a separate penal code: the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC). The RPC was framed during British rule and is on the lines of the IPC. Though Section 377 stands diluted after the Supreme Court order, the RPC still…

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Cops disguise as stone pelters to catch youth

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The Jammu and Kashmir Police Friday adopted a fresh strategy of nabbing stone pelters by planting its men among them at historic Jama Masjid downtown to arrest the real culprits in action. After the Friday prayers today, a mob started pelting stones at police and CRPF personnel but there was no retaliation this time and not even a single teargas shell was lobbed or baton charge initiated by the law enforcing force. As the crowd swelled to over 100 people and two chronic stone pelters started leading the agitation, the…

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Two trekkers die after falling into crevice of Kolahoi Glacier in Pahalgam

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Two trekkers were killed on Friday when they fell into a crevice of a glacier in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district, police said. A group of three trekkers fell into a crevice at Kolahoi glacier, 26 km from the famous tourist destination Pahalgam. Teams of police, disaster relief force and local volunteers were rushed to the spot for rescue operations by the district administration, police said. The trekkers have been identified as Naveed Jeelani, a junior state administrative service officer and Adil Shah. Another trekker, Hazik, was seriously injured. Divisional…

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Can’t take back chocolate from kid immediately: Sumitra Mahajan on SC/ST Act

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Amid widespread anger, including calls of ‘Bharat bandh’, against the amendment to the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Thursday said all political parties should get together to discuss the issue. A Bharat bandh was called Thursday by some anti-reservation bodies against the amendment to the Act last month. The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha had, on August 6 and August 9 respectively, passed the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill to overturn a Supreme Court order concerning certain…

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There was no hurry to replace SP Vaid as DGP: Omar Abdullah

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Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah has criticised the timing of changing the state DGP, saying there was no hurry to replace S P Vaid and the state police could do without having to deal with the confusion of leadership. The state government removed Vaid as the DGP late Thursday night and handed the charge to DG Prisons Dilbagh Singh till a permanent appointment is made. “There was no hurry to replace @spvaid. He should have been changed only when a permanent arrangement had been worked out.…

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To handle critical work three more advisers on cards

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Governor Satya Pal Malik is likely to appoint three more advisers to tune the administrative work in the state and infuse a greater sense of accountability, said highly placed sources. The sources said the Governor was keen to enhance contact with the people with the help of the advisers, Chief Secretary and other officials in the administration. It is felt that he needs more hands to handle the critical work of the administration and make it available and accessible to the public at all levels, they said. The sources said…

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Four years after deluge, Valley women still picking up pieces, Traders decry lack of rehab

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Even four years after the floods hit the summer capital, the memory of devastation they caused is still fresh in minds of many residents, especially women, who have worked hard to pick up the pieces since then. Nasreen Bano, 45, who lives in Raj Bagh, one of the localities that was severely affected by September 2014 floods, has shifted along with her family to their new house just six months ago. “We were unaware about the danger the floods posed when water entered our house on September 7, 2014. We…

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