Precious Kashmir

13 sheep killed in suspected leopard attack at Handwara

City

29/03/2022

By: Murtaza Mushtaq

Kupwara: At least thirteen sheep were killed in a suspected leopard attack in Qalamabad area of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district on intervening Sunday and Monday night.

“Once I went to feed the sheep this morning, I saw many of them dead with blood lying around inside the shed” Owner of the livestock Zeeshan Gani Mir – son of Abdul Gani Mir in Mirpora village in Qalamabad of Mawer Langate said.

“There has been movement of wild animals going in and around the human habitation for quite a while now, however as evident by the nature of their injuries I guess the livestock has been attacked by a leopard only”, he said adding thirteen sheep have been killed in the incident.

When contacted, BO Langate Farooq Ahmad Pir confirming the killing of sheep said that they have ‘dearth of manpower and equipment(s) to deal with such situations’.

When asked about the spike in the incidents, the official said that “Wildlife animals are making entry to human habitation apparently due to scarcity of food and growing deforestation.”

The villagers have in the meantime appealed to Wildlife Department officials to make efforts to contain the movement of wild animals in and around the human habitation.

They also appealed to the government to provide compensation to the owner who has lost the livestock in the particular incident. (GNS)

Acute water scarcity irk Baroosa villagers in Gbl

City

Precious Kashmir

29/03/2022

By: Raja Syed Rather

Ganderbal: Locals of Baroosa village in Ganderbal Monday blocked Baroosa-Ganderbal road to register their protest against shortage of drinking water in their area for the past 20 days.

Witnesses said that women and men assembled on the road at Inderkoot village and stopped movement of vehicular traffic to protest against lack of potable water.

Raising slogans against the Jal Shakti department, they said that they brought the issue of scarcity of water in their area into the notice of authorities several times but nothing was done to resolve their grievance.

“We are being forced to drink contaminated water from streams” said a local Shahid Ahmad.

He said the residents approached the authorities several times to no avail. The protesters appealed to the concerned authorities to look into the matter.

Later, they dispersed peacefully after a police team reached the spot and assured the protestors that the matter would be taken to higher authorities.

An official from Jal Shakti department said that they have taken note of the grievance and it will be addressed shortly. (KNO)

Arunachal Dy CM proposes India-Bhutan power line for electricity exchange

National

Indo Asian News Service

29/03/2022

Arunachal Dy CM proposes India-Bhutan power line for electricity exchange

Guwahati/Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein on Monday asked the North East Regional Power Committee (NERPC) to carry out a feasibility study for establishment of a 132 KV transmission line between Lumla in his state and the 600 MW Kholongchu Hydro-Electric Power Station in Bhutan.

The 600 MW Kholongchu Hydro-Electric Power plant in Bhutan is about 40 km aerially from Lumla in Tawang.

Attending the NERPC meeting in Guwahati, Mein, who also holds the power portfolio, said: “The NERPC may come out with a tangible policy decision as per norms associated with international exchange of electricity.”

He also requested the NERPC members to support this idea as it would help to make a pragmatic initiative and improve the reliability of both the power grids of India and Bhutan besides meeting the electricity demand.

Mein congratulated the state-owned North East Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) for successfully commissioning the 600 MW Kameng Hydro Electric Project (HEP) by putting the last and final unit into commercial operation on February 12. He also requested the NEEPCO to carry on the same tempo to take up all the new projects in Arunachal Pradesh — 120 MW Nafra HEP, 90 MW New Malling HEP in Tawang and 330 MW Kuru HEP.

He said that the construction of 2,000 MW Subansiri Lower Hydro Electric Project resumed in October 2019 by National Hydro Power Corporation and two of its units with a capacity of 500 MW each would become operational by August this year. He also urged the NEEPCO engineers to work hard further to ensure completion of the entire project in August next year as scheduled.

Noting that Arunachal Pradesh is a young state in the area of power transmission systems, Mein said that despite this, they have achieved significant development in building infrastructure in other areas and have gained momentum significantly to catch up with the sister states of the northeast region and the rest of the country as well.

Cancer Awareness

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Oped

Precious Kashmir

29/03/2022

Amid changing times, pressures of a hectic life and variations in the environment, the number of cancer cases is on the rise in Jammu and Kashmir or elsewhere.

Data over the last few years presents a grim picture. From 12675 in 2019 and 12344 in 2018, the cancer cases have increased to 13012 in 2020 in Jammu and Kashmir, according to the latest National Cancer Registry Programme Report. The figures surely look alarming compared to 3,075 cancer cases in 2011, 3,288 in 2012, 3,157 in 2013, 3,940 in 2014 and 4,257 in 2015.

As per World Health Organization, cancer is a generic term for a large group of diseases that can affect any part of the body. Other terms used are malignant tumours and neoplasms. One defining feature of cancer is the rapid creation of abnormal cells that grow beyond their usual boundaries, and which can then invade adjoining parts of the body and spread to other organs; the latter process is referred to as metastasis. Metastases are the primary cause of death from cancer.

While cancer is a multifactorial disease, the risk factors, inter alia, include ageing population, sedentary lifestyle, use of tobacco products, unhealthy diet and air pollution.

Cancers of the lung, mouth, stomach and oesophagus were the most common cancers among men. Cancers of the breast and cervix uteri were the most common cancers among women, the report said.

In 2020, tobacco related cancers are estimated to contribute 3.7 lakhs (27.1%) of the total cancer burden.

As per the officials, cancer is diagnosed and treated at various levels in the health care facilities. The treatment in Government Hospitals is either free or “highly subsidized” for the poor and needy, the Ministry of Health informed the parliament recently.

The studies show a sharp rise in dangerous diseases like cancer, largely attributed to food. The experts have been stressing the implications of junk and packaged food. As depicted from the data, tobacco related cancers are also on rise. The experts have been calling people to focus on preventive measures to arrest the growing incidence of the disease in the Kashmir Valley. The government must create more and more awareness including on reasons for oral cancers possibly because of rampant consumption of tobacco and tobacco-based products, stomach cancers due to consumption of foods involving the use of preservatives and chemicals, and cigarette smoking etc.

Mutton Matters

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Precious Kashmir

28/03/2022

Mutton forms an important and inalienable part of the diet chart in Kashmir Valley. For the last several days, the availability of mutton has been very scarce. If available, the quality is very inferior. Last year in March, the administration fixed the retail price of mutton at Rs 535 per kilogram without offal and Rs 490 with it. It had ended four month-long disagreement between the government and the mutton dealers then. The mutton dealers have resorted to old-tactics and non-availability of the mutton needs to be addressed when the month of Ramazan is round the corner. The dealers have been already selling the mutton at Rs 600 against Rs 535 fixed by the government. Now they reportedly seek a rise in the price.

Earlier the mutton dealers were selling it around Rs 500 per kilogram but with the advent of covid-19 and shutdown forced by it, the prices went up and the dealers would sell it at Rs 550 and then at Rs 600. A forum claiming to be representing the dealers then said that Rs 600/kg was rational given the rates outside the J&K.

A ‘fact-finding committee’ formed by the dealers to examine the mutton rates across India had lent support to the claims by the dealers, saying that retail dealers in Kashmir procure “grade-A” quality at higher rate per kilogram. The government earlier warned them against overcharging and even announced to go tough against them. Of late though, there is no word or action by the administration in ensuring the availability of the mutton, that too quality one.

The consumers are certainly caught in the tussle of sorts and most people have no way to enforce what has been fixed even as they want mutton prices far lesser than what they are made to pay. There is no doubt that people would in all situations want the prices to come down given the fact that the lesser the prices the better the deal. The government while fixing the price last time stated that representatives of the dealers were consulted. Besides, the technical team of the Sheep Husbandry department presented a “realistic scenario” of the production cost of the mutton industry as regards how much the retail rate should be even after ensuring the dealers get their due profit. After taking all these aspects into consideration, the new retail rate of mutton was fixed, the government maintained. Within one year into new rates fixed by the administration, the commodity has become rare and beyond reach. It has started to vanish from the markets. Both sides need to work out the issues and ensure that the commodity is available to the people.

Panchayat Majlis: PRI-Administration interaction mechanism for enhancing participative democracy

Jammu & Kashmir

Precious Kashmir

28/03/2022

Panchayat Majlis: PRI-Administration interaction mechanism for enhancing participative democracy

ANANTNAG, MARCH 27: In the run up to the next fiscal, District Administration Anantnag organized a series of majlis (meetings) involving participation of PRIs from all three tiers and senior officials from the district administration.

The focus of these meetings was to strengthen participative democracy through interactions of ground level representatives and the executive machinery. The meetings encompassed discussion on plan formulations, implementation of development works, social audit of welfare schemes, wide dissemination of social benefits and promoting Jan Bhagidari in good governance initiatives.

The meetings saw participation of Chairman, District Development Council, Deputy Commissioner Anantnag, DDC Council members, Addl. District Development Commissioner, Block Development Chairpersons, Asstt. Commissioner Development, Asstt. Commissioner Panchayat, Executive Engineer REW, BDOs, Sarpanches and Panches from all across the districts. Over a series of meetings, more than 200 people attended the Panchayati Majlis and shared their views on various aspects of development.

The Majlis acted as a preparatory forum for the PRIs to develop more clarity on developmental issues in the district for the UT Level PRI conference, an initiative of the Government of UT of J&K and for them to project ground level implementation requirements at the UT level conference. The PRIs, through detailed deliberation, identified priority and gap areas in various key development indicators and in discussion with district heads of various departments arrived on possible remedial measures that can be incorporated in the plans. At the UT level conference, the PRIs will have a chance to deliberate on policy level initiatives and put for appropriate suggestions that can easily translate into field action aimed at transformation of the local development landscape.

Several PRIs hailed the initiative of the district administration. They emphasized that they are aware of the local demands, however, their interaction with the district officials has expanded their horizon on possible interventions that can be tailored for specific gap areas. They said that learnings from the majlis regarding the implementation of the previous development plan will be used in formulating a broad based and priority-based development plan for the next fiscal.

The Deputy Commissioner said that the three tier Panchayati Raj system has been extremely effective in translating peoples’ genuine demands into development plans and them regularly following up to ensure the issue is addressed through execution of the plan. He said that he is hopeful that the interaction among PRIs and with administrative machinery during Majlis and in the upcoming UT level PRI conference will further refine the formulation and execution of development plans and eventually translate to prosperity for the common man.

43-day Amarnath Yatra to commence on June 30

Front

Precious Kashmir

28/03/2022

43-day Amarnath Yatra to commence on June 30

LG chairs 41st board meeting of SASB
Says will provide best-in-class healthcare facilities to all devotees
Precious Kashmir News
Jammu, Mar 27: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha chaired the 41st Board meeting of Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board at the Raj Bhavan here on Sunday.
During the meeting, it was decided that this year, the 43-day holy pilgrimage will commence on 30th June with all covid protocols in place and will culminate, as per the tradition, on the day of Raksha Bandhan, 11th August 2022.
Further, the online registration for Shri Amarnathji Yatra will start from 11th April.
During the Board meeting, the Lt Governor, Members of the Board- Swami Avdheshanand Giri Ji Maharaj; D. C. Raina, Kailash Mehra Sadhu; K. N. Rai; Shri K.N.Shrivastava; Pitambar Lal Gupta; Dr. Shailesh Raina; Prof Vishwamurti Shastri and the senior officers of UT administration also had in-depth discussions on various issues on upcoming Yatra.
The Lt Governor called on the officials to be proactive and ensure elaborate arrangements for conducting smooth Yatra as large number of devotees are expected to arrive to pay their obeisance at the Holy Cave this year. He also said the government is introducing RFID system for pilgrims to track their movement en-route to ensure their well-being.
He laid special emphasis on providing best-in-class health facilities to all the visiting devotees and service providers, strengthening telecommunication channels for Yatris, besides use of latest technological measures to achieve optimal synergy between the different government departments and agencies.
Nitishwar Kumar, CEO, SASB gave a brief overview of the route map of the holy Shrine and various services being made available by the SASB en route and at the holy Cave.
It was informed that key preparations have been made for this year’s Yatra. With increased capacity for accommodation, new Yatri Niwas Bhawans, augmented health facilities, upgraded tracks, telecommunication facilities, Heli Services, SASB App, year-long Insurance for Ponywaalas, many unique initiatives have been taken for the benefit of Yatris and service providers.
Rahul Singh, Addl. CEO, SASB briefed the meeting about the activities and development works being carried out in connection with the annual Yatra, besides presenting Agenda items before the Board.
Several suggestions and inputs were presented by the members of SASB which included sustained media campaign via social media, mobile app and youtube videos for facilitating people with all the information regarding the Yatra viz-a viz: how to avail yatra services, do’s and don’ts, mandatory heath checkups.
Shri Amartnathji Shrine board has decided that the Yatra would commence simultaneously from both the routes – the Pahalgam track in Anantnag district and Baltal in Ganderbal district. The board has also decided to put in place a daily route-wise pilgrims ceiling to 10,000 excluding Yatri’s who would travel by helicopters. The board has also decided to extend the free-of-cost battery car service for Yatri’s at 2.75 Km-long Baltal to Domel stretch.
The Lt Governor during the meeting also directed for sending special invites to Akhada Parishads, Acharya Parishads for facilitation of Sadhu and Sant Samaj.
The Lt Governor said that all the suggestions made by the board members will be acted upon by the concerned officers of UT administration and SASB. He further directed the officers to complete all the ongoing infrastructure upgradation works by May end.
The Lt Governor stressed on ensuring world-class sanitation arrangement on the track and in Yatra camps. He said that all the utilities on the track routes should be ready and made functional well before the commencement of yatra.
The Lt Governor also called for wide publicity of the information regarding Shri Amarnathji Yatra-2022. He further directed the officials to explore the possibility of involving additional public and private Banks and their branches for providing yatra permits.
The Lt Governor also suggested for engaging research fellows for promoting and generating authentic literature and research books with regard to Shri Amarnathji Shrine.
The board will also enable live telecast of morning and evening Aarti (Prayers) for devotees across the globe. ‘Shri Amarnathji Yatra’ App has been made available on the Google play store to get real time information about the Yatra, weather and for availing several services online.
Dilbag Singh, DGP briefed the Board about the detailed security arrangement plan for the yatra. He said that besides mountain rescue teams, JKP will also install camps of health and medical care for the yatris.
Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary; Dilbag Singh, DGP; Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary, Finance Department; Vivek Bhardwaj, Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Medical Education Department; Shailendra Kumar, Principal Secretary to the Government, Public Works (R&B) Department; Nitishwar Kumar, Principal Secretary to the Lt Governor & CEO, SASB; Mukesh Singh, ADGP Jammu; Pandurang K Pole, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir; M Raju, Commissioner/Secretary, Jal Shakti Department; Dr Raghav Langer, Divisional Commissioner Jammu; Diljit Singh, ADG CRPF; Vijay Kumar, IGP Kashmir; Anup Kumar Soni, former Additional CEO, SASB were present during the Board Meeting.

Dialogue with Pak only after guns fall silent: Jitendra

Front

Indo Asian News Service

28/03/2022

Indo-Asian News Service
New Delhi, Mar 27: India can hold talks with Pakistan only when guns fall silent and bullets stop flying, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Sunday.
Talking to the media on the sidelines of an event here, he slammed Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti who on Saturday reiterated her call to the BJP-led Central government for holding dialogue with the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and Pakistan.
Jitendra Singh sought to know if the BJP should talk to the people of its own country or to the people of a foreign land.
Mehbooba Mufti, a former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, has said peace would be elusive as long as Kashmir issue remains unresolved.
“If the Kashmir issue is not resolved, there will be no peace in the region and therefore it is necessary to hold talks with people of Jammu and Kashmir, and Pakistan,” she had said on Saturday.
Reacting to her remark, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said the PDP chief could pass such comments as the BJP had given people like her strength by forming government with her party in the erstwhile state.
Taking a dig at Mufti, Raut had also said she was a friend of the BJP at some point of time and they formed a coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir.
The PDP has been “pro-Pakistan and sympathised with terrorists”, and even as Mehbooba Mufti had supported the Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, the BJP had formed an alliance with her to form the government in Jammu and Kashmir, Raut said. (IANS)

Mann Ki Baat: Many startups are successful in Ayush sector: PM

Front

Indo Asian News Service

28/03/2022

Mann Ki Baat: Many startups are successful in Ayush sector: PM

Indo-Asian News Service
New Delhi, Mar 27: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that many startups have been successful in the Ayush sector and the market of this sector has gone up to Rs 1,40,000 crore.
Addressing the nation through his monthly radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’, he said that six years ago, the market for medicines related to Ayurveda was around Rs 22,000 crore which has risen to Rs 1,40,000 crore because Yoga and Ayurveda is increasingly trending all over the world.
Talking about the Ayush startups, Modi further said that there is a startup Kapiva, based on healthy eating habits in accordance with our traditions while the Nirog-Street too is another startup which is a unique concept in the Ayurveda Healthcare Ecosystem.
“The Ayurveda Healthcare Ecosystem is a technology-driven platform connecting Ayurveda Doctors from across the world directly to the people and more than 50,000 practitioners are associated with it. Similarly, Atreya Innovations, a healthcare technology startup, is working in the field of Holistic Wellness,” PM Modi said.
Talking about other Ayush startup, the ‘Ixoreal’ and Cureveda, he said that this company has not only spread awareness about the use of Ashwagandha, but has also invested a huge amount on top quality production process while the ‘Cureveda’ has created dietary supplements for holistic life through the confluence of modern herbal research and traditional knowledge.
Referring to the Padma Awardee, 126-year-old Baba Sivanand ji whose fitness is a subject of discussion in the country today, Modi said, “I read many people’s comments on social media, that Baba Sivanand is fitter than those one-fourth of his age. Indeed, the life of Baba Sivananda is an inspiration for all of us. I wish him a long life. He has a passion for yoga and leads a very healthy lifestyle.” (IANS)

Save every drop of water: PM Modi

Front

United News Of India

28/03/2022

United News of India
New Delhi, Mar 27: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged the countrymen to “save every drop of water” and asked children to become “water warriors” to make water conservation a movement, just as the Swachh Bharat Mission.
Addressing the 87th episode of monthly Mann Ki Baat, the Prime Minister said that collective as well as individual efforts are necessary, to make water conservation a success.
“I would also urge the listeners of Mann Ki Baat that we must do whatever we can to save every drop of water. We should focus on recycling water that can be used for plants and other gardening activities. I expect a lot from the children. Just as our children made cleanliness a movement, they can help save water by becoming water warriors,” he said.
The Prime Minister also shared some inspiring stories on water conservation from across the country. He mentioned the exemplary work done by Chennai’s Arun Krishnamurti and Maharashtra’s Rohan Kale in reviving water bodies.
“I come from a state where water scarcity is one of the biggest problems. But in Gujarat, people revived stepwells that not only helped in water conservation, but also increased the ground water level. Secunderabad’s Bansilalpet is one such stepwell that was covered in garbage and mud for years. But, this stepwell has been revived through Jan Bhagidari,” he said. The Prime Minister also spoke about India’s diversity and called it the nation’s “great strength.”
“Our culture, our languages, our dialects, our living conditions, the expansion of our cuisine, all these diversities are our great strengths. From east to west, from north to south, this diversity keeps India united, makes our country Ek Bharat Shreshth Bharat. Both our historical sites and mythology contribute a lot in it,” he said.
He also remembered Mahatma Phule and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. “Both of them have left their deep impact on the Indian society. We will celebrate Mahatma Phule’s birth anniversary on 11th of April and Babasaheb’s birth anniversary on 14th of April. Both of these great men fought persistently against discrimination and inequality. Mahatma Phule opened schools for girls in that era; raised his voice against female infanticide.
He also launched large campaigns to get rid of water crisis,” he said. Modi also recalled the contribution of Savitribai Phule, saying she played a significant role in the formation of many social institutions.
“As a teacher and social reformer, she also made the society aware and encouraged it,” the PM said, appealing to all parents and guardians to ensure education for their daughters.
“In order to increase the enrollment of our daughters in schools, the Kanya Shiksha Pravesh Utsav has also been started a few days ago… the focus is on bringing back to school those girls, who missed their studies for some reason,” he added.
Modi urged the listeners to visit the places associated with Mahatma Phule, Savitribai Phule and Babasaheb Ambedkar. He praised India’s recent achievement of reaching the target of 400 billion dollar exports, saying that it illustrated the capability and potential.
“Last week, we achieved the target of 400 billion dollar export target. It shows India’s potential. There was a time when we used to export only 100 billion dollars to 200 billion dollar goods but now, our efforts of Aatmanirbhar Bharat are showing results,” he said.
“New products from every corner of the country are going abroad. Be it the leather products of Hailakandi in Assam or handloom products of Osmanabad, fruits and vegetables of Bijapur or black rice of Chandauli. The export of all is increasing,” he added.
“The success of our small entrepreneurs at the domestic level also makes us proud. Today, our small entrepreneurs are playing a major partnership role in government procurement through Government e-Market.
“During the last one year through the GeM portal, the government has purchased items worth more than Rs one lakh crore. Close to 1.25 lakh small entrepreneurs and small shopkeepers from every corner of the country have sold their goods directly to the government,” the PM said.
He added that there was a time when only big companies could sell goods to the government, the country is changing now and even the smallest of shopkeepers can sell their goods to the government on the GeM Portal. (UNI)

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