Year: 2019

VVPATs at all booths, Candidate photos on EVMs among firsts this election

Editor

Voters in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections will find, for the first time, the faces of the candidates along with their respective party symbols in the electronic voting machines (EVMs), the Election Commission (EC) announced here on Sunday as it released the seven-phase schedule of the world’s largest democratic exercise. The commission has introducing a slew of new or improved measures as it aims to make the elections free, fair and transparent – with a dash of eco-friendliness thrown in for good measure. The poll panel announced that for the first time Voter…

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World looks away as Kashmiri’s are stuck in the middle of potentially nuclear conflict

Editor

When Adil Dar rammed a car stuffed with explosives into a paramilitary convoy in Indian-administered Kashmir last month, I didn’t make much of the news. I was travelling across northern India at the time. Having been born and brought up amid a conflict that has defined the life of every young Kashmiri for the past three decades it just seemed more of the same: military cordons, gunfights, curfews, blown-up houses, maiming and the death of our friends and acquaintances. But the magnitude of this attack by Dar, a 22-year-old Kashmiri,…

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No terrorists will be allowed to attack from Pakistani soil: Imran Khan

Editor

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday said no militant group would be allowed to operate from Pakistani soil to carry out attacks abroad, days after his government announced a sweeping crackdown against Islamist militant organisations.Pakistan faces growing international pressure to rein in Islamist groups that carry out attacks in India. The February 14 attack claimed by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) killed 40 CRPF personnel and led to tension between the nuclear-armed rivals as India conducted airstrikes in Pakistan’s Balakot region.Both countries carried out aerial bombing missions last week and even…

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Complete Jehangir Chowk-Rambagh flyover within 2 months: DC Srinagar

Editor

Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, Friday strictly instructed the concerned executing agencies to complete the Jehangir Chowk-Rambagh Flyover within two months.The DC who made these instructions in a meeting with executing agencies and contractors of the project assured the latter of timely provision of construction material and payments. He strictly directed the concerned agencies and contractors to work day and night in double shifts and ensure that the ?341 crore project is completed without any further delays.Dr Shahid Iqbal said the work will be monitored on daily basis,…

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‘Ensure India’s forces aren’t used for political gains’: Ex-navy chief Admiral L Ramdas to Election Commission

Editor

Former chief of naval staff, Admiral L Ramdas (retired), has written to the Election Commission of India (ECI) expressing “concern” and “dismay” over what he sees as the misuse of the air strike in Pakistan to “influence the electorate”. Admiral Ramdas led the Indian Navy from 1990 to 1993 and was part of naval blockade of East Pakistan during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. The operation, one of the most effective naval blockades, prevented Pakistan from evacuating over 90,000 soldiers from Bangladesh. They eventually surrendered before the Indian Army. Ramdas…

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Rahul condemns violence against Kashmiris, Centre issues fresh advisory

Editor

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday condemned the violence against Kashmiris and said India belonged to its citizens from every corner of the country.Gandhi’s reaction came after two Kashmiri vendors selling dry fruits were thrashed by a group of saffron-clad men in Lucknow on Wednesday. Tweeting a video of the incident, the Congress chief said: “While I’m disgusted by this video of Kashmiri traders being attacked in UP, I salute the braveheart who challenged the attackers. India belongs to its citizens, from every corner of our nation. I strongly condemn…

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JKSECC threatens to close all pvt schools, colleges, if Jama’at-e-Islami run institutions,​ were not ensured to function normally

Editor

Jammu and Kashmir Socio Economic Coordination Committee (JKSECC) has threatened to close all private schools and colleges in Kashmir if Jama’at-e-Islami institutions were not ensured to function normally.JKSECC— an amalgam of various trade, industrial, travel, tour, tourism, horticulture, educational, contractors, pharmaceutical, houseboat, bakers, transport and other civil society formations in a statement issue here said that government should release all managerial and teaching staff and operation of their bank accounts. A meeting of the amalgam was held to discuss the ban on the Socio-religious organisation and crackdown on the leaders…

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Annual 46 day Amarnath yatra to begin from July 1

Editor

The 46-day long annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas will begin on July 1, a Raj Bhavan official said here on Thursday. The decision was taken at the 36th meeting of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) which met at the Raj Bhavan under the chairmanship of Governor Satya Pal Malik, he said. The SASB manages the annual pilgrimage on the traditional Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the shorter, Baltal track, in Ganderbal district. Based on the approach set by the Sri Sri Ravi…

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Kiru Hydro Electric Project gets Cabinet nod

Editor

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the investment sanction for construction of Kiru Hydro Electric(HE) Project (624 MW) by M/s Chenab Valley Power Projects Private Limited (M/s CVPPPL) in Jammu & Kashmir. The project will be implemented at an estimated cost of Rs.4287.59 crore (at July, 2018 price level) which includes Interest During Construction (IDC)and Foreign Component (FC) of Rs.426.16 crore and infusion of equity of Rs 630.28 crore by NHPC in M/s CVPPPL, for construction of Kiru HE Project (624 MW)…

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‘Match-fixing between Modi, Pakistan’: BK Hariprasad on Pulwama attack

Editor

Congress’ member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha Hariprasad made the remarks while speaking to reporters in Bengaluru on Thursday in response to Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad’s criticism of the Congress for demanding proof of the strike by the Indian Air Force on Jaish-e-Mohammed’s terror camps in Balakot in Pakistan. Senior Congress leader BK Hariprasad has alleged there was a “match-fixing” between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan which allowed the Pulwama terror attack to occur. Congress’ member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha Hariprasad…

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