Pilibhit/Sitapur (UP): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday attacked Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP) and accused them of jointly weakening the fight against militancy in the country.

Addressing an election rally in Pilibhit, Shah said, “I saw an interview of Priyanka Gandhi before coming here. On being asked about her take on militancy Priyanka replied that she did not have times for such irrelevant things. Is controlling militancy irrelevant?.”

He said, “On one hand Priyanka has said that militancy is irrelevant, on the other a leader of her party Salman Khursheed had said that SIMI activists arrested in Ahmedabad blasts were innocent and they should be released. He even pursued their case.”

Shah also slammed SP of attempting to withdraw cases against terrorists.

“SP promised release of terrorists accused in Sankat Mochan temple blasts in which several innocent people were killed in its election manifesto. It was the Allahabad High Court which interfered and the process was stalled otherwise all the militants would have been released,” he said.

He said, “Should vote be given to those who compromise with the security of the country for the sake of votes? Congress and SP have jointly weakened the country’s fight against the militancy. BJP rules with the policy of zero-tolerance against militancy. It is our resolve that irrespective of the religion or caste, militancy should be weeded out by the roots from the country and the world.”

Shah said that SP and BSP have been wiped out in the first three phases of the assembly polls. “Do you want to know the result of the previous three phases? SP and BSP have been wiped out whereas the Congress is not visible even with binoculars. Due to welfare works done by the government there is a wave in the favour of BJP which will turn into a ‘tsunami’ by the seventh phase,” he said.

He said that after becoming the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi had said that the BJP government is the government of the poor, backwards and Dalits and it has worked accordingly.

“In the last seven and a half years work has been done to uplift the poor. The BJP government provided 1.67 crore gas cylinders, the Yogi government constructed 2.61 crore toilets, gave free electricity connections to 1.41 crore houses, gave 42 lakh houses to poor families and Modi gave free corona vaccines to the people,” he said. (UNI)

Orders restoration of 1000 sq km degraded forest area in next fiscal year

Jammu: Chief Secretary, Dr Arun Kumar Mehta Monday urged the forest department to replenish the denuded forest cover, increase plantation outside forest areas and repair the neglected water bodies using both traditional ecological knowledge and modern practices in convergence with the MGNREGA to kick-start a virtuous cycle of good soil health, increased land productivity, food security and improved livelihoods in J&K.

Terming forests as an important climate mitigation strategy, Dr Mehta asked the department to involve local communities/panchayats in applying deep knowledge of the local ecology in restoring their commons.

He made these comments in a meeting held to review UT capex of the forest department in which administrative secretary, forest and other senior officers of the forest departments were present.

Hailing the departmental initiative-‘Van se Jal –Jal se Jivan’, the chief secretary said the campaign has to be focused more in areas of water stress in J&K and the views of the local people should also be sought in making this programme a success.

Urging the department to achieve the target of plantation of 1.3 crore plants set for this year, he said there is also a need to focus plantation in vulnerable areas, particularly on the highways where green cover can help in slope stabilization and prevent landslides.

Earlier commissioner Secretary, Forest, Sanjeev Verma made a presentation on UT capex in which he gave a broad overview of the UT capex during the current fiscal year.

Verma informed that out of Rs 90 cr released by Finance department from an approved outlay of Rs 132 cr, the department has incurred an expenditure of Rs. 70 cr till 15th February 2022.

He said the department will fully spend the funds released by Finance department during the current fiscal year.

PCCF, Mohit Gera informed that out of total of 20194 sq km of the forest area in J&K, around 2250 sq km forest area has degraded while further saying that the department on an average restores 100-200 sq km of the degraded forest area in a year.

The Chief Secretary directed the department to restore 1000 sq km forest area during the next year in convergence with the funds available under labour component under MGNREGA.

It was informed that the campaign-Har Gaon Hariyali’ has been well received by the people at large and the panchayats in the UT are locked in a healthy competition of outdoing one another on the issue of plantation.

PCCF informed that the department has set a target of planting 1.3 cr plants this year and it is on course to meeting the target.

The department informed that out of 3700 traditional village ponds identified in the UT, requiring repair and reconstruction, 57 ponds have been taken up under UT capex for repair during this financial year and so far 37 ponds have been reconstructed.

The Chief Secretary directed the department to repair all 3700 ponds within next six months in convergence with MGNREGA.

He said repair and rejuvenation of these ponds will recharge the ground water and improve the whole ecosystem of lives and livelihood in the villages.

Saying that the practice of the people feeding monkeys on the national highways/tourist places has to be stopped, the chief secretary said the department needs to improve enforcement thorough heightened vigil and imposition of fines to deter people from doing so as it causes unnecessary accidental deaths of monkeys.

Dr Mehta said the department needs to put a high premium on climate mitigation and ensure that vehicular pollution is effectively checked and the violators are suitably penalized.

He asked the department to ensure that visibly polluting vehicles from outside the UT are not allowed entry at Lakhanpur border.

The Chief Secretary directed the department to erect hoardings/billboards at Lakhanpur border carrying unequivocal directions from the department for the interstate commuters that the vehicles not conforming to the pollution norms will not be let into J&K.

Holding plastic littered on the roadsides and in and around forest areas as the terrible pollutant and eye sore, he asked the department to mount a campaign titled- ‘Say No to Plastics’ in the media advising the people against the use of the plastics.

Dr Mehta also asked the department to spearhead a plastic cleanliness campaign on war footing across J&K.

Appreciating the conservation works carried out in the surroundings of the wullar lake, the chief secretary said the unrivalled beauty of the lake needs to be celebrated and asked the department to hold wullar lake festivals thrice- during spring, summer and autumn- in a year.

Dr Mehta lauded the effort of the department in starting 12-day training for 20 youth of the Kishtwar district for Eco Guides and asked the department to connect them with the youth clubs and the Mission Youth for availing incentives to buy trekking gear like tents, other camping material etc.

He said post training, these youth can use the trekking gear while as guides for the tourists on the identified trekking routes in this region and earn a living for themselves.

Dr Mehta said this will also spur the growth of the wild life tourism in the region.

Jammu: After a gap of nearly two years, schools of junior classes amidst the COVID SOPs reopened in the summer zone of Jammu division on Monday.

School life in the junior classes on Monday limped back to normalcy almost after two years and the classes from I to VIII resumed.

However, many kids were first time visitors to the schools after getting enrolled during the COVID pandemic period.

According to officials, students were allowed to enter the school after thermal screening at the entrance gates and with sanitized hands.

Meanwhile children were in an upbeat mood and full of enthusiasm after reaching schools and meeting their classmates.

“Though schools have also been opened from Class I to Class VIII and there was no provision for vaccination of young children, special precautions have been directed to all the schools to protect them from corona infection,” said an official.

All schools have been directed to maintain hygiene and make sanitizers available outside classrooms.

Notably, schools from class IX to Class XII have already been opened from February 14.

“Many schools are also preparing to conduct examinations offline in the first week of March,” he added and hoped that the next Academic session will resume completely offline from April. (UNI)

Mumbai: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said the Union Budget 2023 has tried to balance growth and sustained recovery at a time when the economy is coming out of the pandemic.

Laying emphasis on asset creation, the Budget has proposed an increase in capital expenditure by 35.4 per cent to Rs 7.5 lakh crore for FY2023 as against the outlay of Rs 5.54 lakh crore for FY2022.

“This budget has been made for the time when the economy is coming out of the pandemic. A sustained and strong recovery is something that is what all of us would want,” Sitharaman said while addressing a post-Budget stakeholder interaction with the Maharashtra industry here.

She said the Budget has been made with a focus on keeping the growth revival and sustainability as a priority and has a message of predictable tax regime.

On the government’s decision to invest on infrastructure building, the minister said, “Spending on infrastructure was chosen as a favourable route because it ensures a greater multiplier effect. And with a greater multiplier, we hope that assets can be created which can last for decades.”

She further said that the Budget is the blueprint for the Amritkaal of India, for the next 25 years, leading towards India@100.

“We are not just talking about today’s strengths and challenges, but we are also looking at future India which will have a greater technological influence in policy making. Technology which is so required to keep pace with all that is happening,” the minister said.

Sitharaman also emphasised on the focus on empowering the startups in India, noting that they bring in innovation.

“The blueprint for the next 25 years has a priority on growth, not letting go of the digital advantage that India has had. We want to build on the strength of innovation and capacity to innovate by our youth. The support that has been extended in the last few years to startups will continue,” she said.

The minister further said having seen what the startups can do, in the last few years, we want to build on that strength and the innovation that they bring and we want to cash on that as well. (UNI)

Will enable affected youth to settle in careers: DC Sgr

Srinagar: Concerned over the rising incidence of drug abuse among the youth in the district, the Deputy Commissioner (DC) Srinagar, Mohammad Aijaz Asad Monday chaired a meeting at Meeting Hall of DC Office Complex here to review the drug abuse scenario and measures to be taken to curb the menace.

Senior Superintendent of Police, Rakesh Balwal was also present on the occasion.

The meeting held threadbare deliberations on the rising trend of drug abuse-a reason behind many other crimes. The challenges like cracking on the peddlers, local drug supply hubs, consumption hotspots, rehabilitation, etc. were discussed in detail and strategies to tackle them were highlighted.

On the occasion, the DC stressed upon the prevention and curability aspects of drug de-addiction so that youth would remain far away from the consumption of narcotic substances and simultaneously they are guided and rehabilitated under different self-employment schemes.

The DC emphasised for better coordination among all the line departments, stakeholders and Drug law enforcement agencies to keep a check on drug trafficking and related issues and ensure prompt sharing of inputs within all enforcement units so that timely action is taken against the drug peddlers.

He further stressed on the need to make joint efforts to break the supply chain and demand for drugs in the district.

The DC said that District Administration Srinagar is launching  “Mission Waapsi” aimed at full fledged war against drug abuse. Rehabilitation of victims of Drug addiction shall be the key to provide them dignified livelihood through proper handholding and guidance under Government self-employment schemes.

The DC also directed the CEO and other concerned to ensure proper vigil in and around the schools to keep check on supply and use of drugs across the district. He was also asked to ensure effective implementation of COTPA Act around the educational institutions so that students do not resort to Tobacco based products.

SSP Srinagar Rakesh Balwal also spoke on the occasion and said that a dedicated anti-drug unit of Police is working to track the drug trafficking modules besides tracing their source. He also stressed upon the need for close coordination between the Civil Administration, Police and all other stakeholders to save the youth of the district from the menace of the drugs.

Earlier, HoD Department of Psychiatry/Incharge Drug De-addiction Centre, SMHS, Hospital Dr Yassir shared his clinical experience in handling victims of substance abuse. Mr Shabbir of Rahat centre also gave valuable inputs to the forum. They also suggested several preventive measures to combat the drug menace and monitoring of Drug Trafficking. They said taking vigilant efforts to check drug trafficking will help in creating deterrence.

Meanwhile DC also sought cooperation from the family particularly from parents to overcome the menace among the youth which also leads to other social evils and crimes. He said parents have an important role to keep the youngsters away from the use of drugs and also the family support for the affected people could lead them towards normal life once again.

Additional Deputy Commissioner, Faz-lul Hasseb, Dr Syed Haneef Balkhi, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Chief Planning officer  Deputy Director Employment, Chief Medical Officer, Chief Education officer, District Coordinator, Nehru Yuva Kendra, Assistant Director Drug Control, Nodal Officer Skill Development and HoD Department of Psychiatry/Incharge Drug De-addiction Centre, SMHS, Hospital were present in the meeting

Srinagar: A faith healer was looted on Monday by thieves posing as her disciples in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district.

Police sources said two thieves posing as disciples came to the home of Rasiya Bano, a faith healer living in the Badragund village of Kazigund area on Monday.

“They sprayed some chemical on her face. She fell unconscious. The thieves fled with jewellery and some cash.

“Police team has reached the spot. More details are awaited,” sources said. (IANS)

Budgam: A man was crushed to death by a moving train in between Nowgam-Budgam railway section in Central Kashmir’s Budgam district on Monday.

Officials said that a man was hit by a train and died on the spot near 69/0 to 70/2/3 km (Bdgm Sina section).

The man died on the spot, he said. Pertinently, a 20-year-old youth was killed after being hit by a train in between Hamre-Sopore railway section in Baramulla district on Saturday evening. (KNO)

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Monday remanded Kashmiri human rights activist Khurram Parvez, who was arrested last year in an alleged militancy funding case, to NIA custody till February 25 along with two other accused persons in the case.

Special NIA Judge Parveen Singh, also allowed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) the custody of other accused — Muneer Ahmad Kataria and Arshid Ahmad Tonch for four more days.

According to the case, Khurram Parvez who through his organisation called Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) allegedly worked as a Pakistani conduit for close to two decades, aiding in recruiting local Kashmiris as militants and financing them.

After combing through heaps of incriminating evidence, the NIA, the agency responsible for probing militant activities in India, arrested Khurram Parvez on November 22, 2021. The arrest followed day-long search at his house and the JKCCS office in Srinagar, according to the probe agency.

Recently, a city court had extended the judicial custody of Parvez and two others, Arshid Ahmad and Muneer Ahmad Kataria, by 40 more days.

As alleged, they were part of the network of overground workers who gathered intelligence on probable terror targets and security installations. Some of them received funds from different people from several States, as alleged. (IANS)

Ranchi: A special CBI court in Ranchi on Monday sentenced Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad to five years imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 60 lakh on him in the Rs 139.35 crore Doranda treasury scam, the fifth fodder scam case.

The former Bihar chief minister along with other accused was pronounced guilty by the court on February 15.

Lalu, 75, appeared in the court virtually. He is in judicial custody and is admitted to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) due to his poor health conditions.

Beside Lalu Prasad, the court had convicted 74 others, including former MP Jagadish Sharma, Public Accounts Committee president Dhruv Bhagat in the case while 24 were acquitted for want of evidence.

Earlier, the former Bihar chief minister was found guilty in four cases related to the Rs 950 crore fodder scam, and is serving a sentence of 27.5 years of imprisonment.

In the fifth case related to the scam, an FIR was lodged in the Doranda police station in 1996 and later the CBI took over the case for investigation.

Initially, in case number RC 47 A/96, a total of 170 were accused of corruption, of which 55 have died, seven became witnesses, two confessed to the crime while six are still absconding.

During the hearing of the case in the CBI special court, 575 people testified on behalf of prosecution, while 35 from the defendants. The probe agency produced 15 documents in the case.

Crores of rupees were illegally withdrawn in the name of transporting animals and arranging fodder for them in Bihar’s animal husbandry department. The animals included bull, buffalo, cow, goat and sheep. The documents submitted by the department regarding the transportation were found to be fake. The vehicle numbers shown in the documents were of scooters, mopeds and motorcycles.

The cases occurred during the period of 1990-1996. The Bihar CAG had sent the information about the graft to the government time and again, but the government did not pay heed to it.

The CBI produced the documents in the court, which showed that then Chief Minister Lalu Prasad, despite knowing everything, did not take any action. Lalu also held the portfolio of Finance Ministry.

Earlier, the former Chief Minister has been to prison six times, but was granted bail by the High Court each time. (IANS)