Category: General News

General News

Limited-stop trains to chug in Kashmir from tomorrow

Editor

Banihal-Baramulla travel time to shrink with 60% fewer halts Almost eight years after the first train started chugging in Kashmir, the Northern Railway is introducing two fast passenger trains with limited stops from Banihal to Baramulla from Thursday. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti will flag off the limited-stop DMU (diesel multiple unit) train on Thursday from south Kashmir’s Anantnag and she will also undertake the train journey up to Baramulla in north Kashmir. Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu will flag off the train through video conferencing from Rail Bhawan in Delhi.…

Read More

CET against J&K’s special status: Omar Abdullah

Editor

Former chief minister Omar Abdullah today alleged the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test is against the spirit of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and called out PDP-BJP government’s “lack of seriousness” in taking timely action to prevent its extension to the state. “NEET is against the interests of our students and clearly goes against the spirit and essence of J-K’s special status. The state government has shown a stunning sense of irresponsibility and lack of seriousness in dealing with this issue. This has created apprehension and anxiety in the minds…

Read More

Thankful Centre accepted mistake of calling off talks with Pakistan: Omar

Editor

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said he was “thankful” that the Centre had “accepted its mistake” of calling off talks with Pakistan over invite to Hurriyat by Islamabad last year. “We have been saying this since the first day, when they (Centre) called off talks with Pakistan over Hurriyat invite, that it was a mistake to call off talks. Thankfully, they (central government) have accepted the mistake now,” Omar told reporters here. He was reacting to Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh’s statement…

Read More

Mirwaiz dares Govt to fight Hurriyat on political turf

Editor

‘GoI funding few groups in name of sufism to create sectarian divide among Muslims’ • Hurriyat working to find alternatives of hartals • PDP’s slogan of healing touch has turned into killing touch Hurriyat Conference (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Monday dared the PDP-BJP government in the State to fight Hurriyat leadership on the political turf instead of curbing their social, political and religious freedom. “Under the Hindutva policy and RSS agenda, a particular thought is being promoted to create sectarian and sub- sectarian divide in Kashmir. Some groups are…

Read More

Mehbooba calls for structural revamp of Wakf Board

Editor

Calling for a structural revamp to make the J&K Wakf Board a vibrant organisation, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today ordered immediate mapping and inventory management of landed property and physical assets, including details of revenue, expenditure and human resource on the rolls of the organisation. She asked the board to take a cue from similar religious organisations functioning in the state, which by prudent use of its assets and endowment money, have been able to create a huge social sector infrastructure base. “I see no reason why we cannot replicate…

Read More

Srinagar to get Rs 100 cr, Jammu Rs 200 cr for development

Editor

Jammu and Kashmir’s summer capital Srinagar continues to get a raw deal in funding for development works, notwithstanding the PDP-BJP government’s Common Minimum Program (CMP) that “assures” equitable and balanced development in all parts of State. As the incumbent regime—like its predecessor NC-Congress government—is banking on obsolete methods to work-out the district-sector allocations, Srinagar is again at receiving end with the district likely to get Rs 100 crore for 2016-17. On the other hand, Jammu would get the highest funding among 22 districts of the State at Rs 200 crore.…

Read More

CM seeks RBI support for youth empowerment in Kashmir

Editor

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday sought Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) support for youth empowerment in the state, while urging premier banking institutions to reach out to young, budding entrepreneurs and help them establish viable business units. She said she expects the RBI to do more in exerting pressure on banking firms operating in the state so that small and medium enterprises have hassle-free access to loans. “We seek better cooperation of banks in creating ample opportunities of employment for youth in the state,” she said…

Read More

Labour Day: It’s just another day for them

Editor

May Day falling today attaches significance to the labour class for having won over their rights and provisions laid down regarding their working hours and other conditions, but most of the labourers here expressed ignorance over such privileges. The reason is their unawareness about the historic struggle worldwide that brought eight-hour working system into effect on May 1, 1886. Besides, a large-scale influx of inter-state migrant workers over the years has rendered them jobless here as the outside labour is easily accessible at lower rates. The workers from Bihar, Uttar…

Read More

Congress accuses BJP of adopting double standards over tricolour in NIT Sgr

Editor

A Congress member in Rajya Sabha raised the issue of police lathicharge at NIT in Srinagar on Saturday and accused the ruling BJP of not allowing the students to hoist the national flag there. During the Zero Hour, Pramod Tiwari said ever since BJP government came to power at the Centre, organisations related to it were trying to create unrest in educational institutions, be it Hyderabad university, JNU or NIT Srinagar. He accused the ruling party of adopting double standards regarding the Tricolour, saying BJP’s policy regarding the national flag…

Read More

Baroda-based artist’s work depicts Kashmir’s pain

Editor

Rollie Mukherjee, a Baroda-based artist who has never visited Kashmir, is showcasing her artworks reflecting the pain and suffering of people in the Valley at a solo show titled “to stories rumoured in branches” presently on display at Conflictorium museum in Ahmedabad. Conflictorium, a “Museum of Conflict” in Mirzapur in the older part of Ahmedabad city, was started three years ago in an old building and aims “to generate dialogue on peace and conflict to effect social transformation using the medium of art and culture”. “The encouragement from the museum…

Read More