By: Bhat Imran
Srinagar: The Jammu and Board of School Education (BOSE) is likely to declare annual regular results of 10th and 12th standard in the month of February.
A top official of BOSE informed that the results would be declared after the month of January.
Refuting the rumors about the results getting declared in the month of January, the official said, “As of now, the results are in the evaluation process and will be declared only in the month of February.” (KNO)
Jammu: Giving a big push to the end-to-end digitization of services, the Chief Secretary Thursday launched the Rapid Assessment System having an in-built digital feedback mechanism at the Civil Secretariat, Jammu, with 8 new services, besides on boarding another 19 services, taking up the total tally to 27.
The Rapid Assessment System provides a platform for submitting the online applications to seek issuance of domicile certificate, benefits under the MUMKIN scheme, commercial water connection, license for selling fertilizers, license for pesticides, license for opening nurseries, and for reelers in sericulture, to be granted by respective departments.
It also has a user-friendly digital feedback mechanism that enables citizens to provide effective feedback on the services provided to them; through SMS and weblink, thereby enhancing transparency and accountability. The departments are also provided a graphical user interface (GUI) for assessing the feedback from citizens and incorporating suitable changes to further enhance efficiency in the service delivery mechanism.
The Chief Secretary appreciated the efforts of the IT Department to have developed the platform and advised expansion of the platform to cover more services from all departments in a time-bound manner. “The IT-enabled delivery of government services will make the transactions prompt, efficient, and effective towards realizing the vision of Digital India”, he added.
Dr. Mehta further directed the Department to integrate all 130 citizen centric services listed under Business Reforms Action Plan (Ease of Doing Business) with the Rapid Assessment Portal within one month to completely overhaul the service delivery system in the Union territory
Principal Secretary, Agriculture Production and Farmers Welfare Department, Principal Secretary, School Education Department, Commissioner/Secretary, Revenue Department, Secretary, Social Welfare Department, Secretary, IT Department, and other senior officers were present on the occasion. The System of Citizens Feedback is likely to be a game changer in respect of quality of services.
Srinagar: Masked men made abortive attempt to loot an ATM of J&K Bank in central Kashmir’s Budgam district on Thursday, officials said.
The men attacked the ATM guard and injured him brutally in a bid to loot ATM of JK bank at Nasrulapora in the district this evening, officials said.
A police officer said that police in a swift action arrested the attackers who he said were not gunmen.
However, he said, rest of the details would be shared later. (GNS)
Srinagar: The Government of India has nominated Prof. Shakil A. Romshoo, Vice-Chancellor, Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST Awantipora) and an acclaimed earth sciences scientist, as a Member of the Governing Body of the prestigious Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), Dehradun, for a period of three years.
WIHG Dehradun, is an autonomous research institute of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Govt. of India.
The Institute is recognised as a national laboratory of international repute with state-of-the-art laboratories and other infrastructural facilities for undertaking advanced levels of research in earth sciences in the country.
Prof. Romshoo has successfully completed several national and international research projects with the geographical focus of the western Himalayas and has published more than 200 highly cited research papers.
More than a dozen national and international awards have been conferred upon him in recognition of his research contribution, and he has also been elected as a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, the Indian Society of Remote Sensing, and the Indian Society of Geomatics.
Professor Romshoo is the member of a score of policymaking committees and Working Groups on environment, water, climate change and disasters at local, national and international level. The nomination has been lauded by the entire IUST fraternity. (GNS)
Srinagar: Anti Corruption Bureau on Thursday produced a chargesheet against 39 persons, which include Assistant Directors, Tehsil Supply Officers, Supervisors, Storekeepers, Ration Dealers of FCS&CA and flour Mill Owners, for ‘misappropriation of ration.’
“Anti-Corruption Bureau produced a charge sheet before Learned Special Judge Anti-Corruption Jammu in case FIR No. 14/2006 P/S VOJ (now ACB-Jammu) under section 5 (1) (d) r/w section 5 (2) PC Act, 2006 BK and 120-B and Section 467, 468, 471 and 120-B RPC against total 39 accused persons including Ashok Kumar Pandita the then Assistant Director Mills Jammu and other public servants including various the then Assistant Directors, then Tehsil Supply Officers, Supervisors, Storekeepers, Ration Dealers of FCS&CA Jammu and private beneficiaries i.e. Flour Mill Owners,” a statement issued by ACB reads.
“The instant case was registered on basis of JSC wherein it was alleged that the ration under (BPL) Below Poverty Line, (AAY) Antodya Anna Yojna and (APS) Annapurna Schemes has been drawn in excess ration in Tehsil Jammu Rural by fraudulent means and was sold in the open market”, the statement reads adding joint surprise check was conducted on the allegations of excess drawl of ration under below poverty line, Antyodaya Anna Yojna and Annapurna schemes and fraudulent sale of excess drawn ration in the market in Tehsil Jammu Rural, which consisted of four blocks namely Block Marh, Satwari, Bhalwal and Dhansal revealed that Gopal Dass Sharma by acting in league with K.K Gandotra and others during the year 2004-2005, had fraudulently and dishonestly drawn ration viz 95007.72 qtls of Rice, 136331.03 qtls. of Wheat and 35834.69 qtls. of Atta under BPL and AAY schemes on subsidized rates during the year 2004-05 as against the actual requirement of 48,723 qtls. of rice and 48,723 qtls. of wheat only”, as per the statement.
The entire quantity of food grains, it reads, was drawn in excess of the actual requirements under said schemes had fraudulently and dishonestly been shown issued to ration dealers who were either non-existent or had denied having received any ration in excess of the actual requirements under said schemes during the year 2004-05 and stood disposed of by above named public servants to confer undue benefit upon themselves to the tune of Rs 6, 08, 91,039/-. In a similar manner from Nov. 2004 to March 2005 Gopal Dass Sharma & K.K Gandotra and others had also drawn excess quantity of 601 qtls. of rice on account of ration meant for distribution free of cost among the rationees categorized under Annapurna scheme and fraudulently/dishonestly shown issued to various non-existent ration dealers and misappropriated Rs 5, 40,900/- as cost of rice.
‘The above named public servants in this manner while abusing their official position in league with each other had conferred upon themselves undue pecuniary advantage of Rs. 6,14,31,939/- thereby causing corresponding loss to the State exchequer. The allegations leveled in the JSC were substantiated and accordingly the Vigilance Organization, Jammu (now ACB) registered the instant FIR under section 5(1) (d) r/w section 5(2) PC Act, 2006 BK and 120-B RPC against Gopal Dass Sharma (now expired), the then A.D. Trade and Stores CAPD Jammu, K.K Gandotra (now expired), the then Tehsil Supply Officer CAPD Jammu & others.’
“During the course of investigation, it has been established that the accused public servants have by abuse of their official position and in furtherance of criminal conspiracy with private beneficiaries/Mill Owners have caused loss to the tune of Rs.6,36,39,077/- to the state exchequer for their pecuniary benefits, which constitute commission of offences punishable under section 5 (1) (d) r/w 5 (2) J&K PC Act. Svt. 2006 and sections 467,468,471 and 120-B RPC has been established against them”, the statement reads.
“After completion of investigation, and after obtaining necessary prosecution sanction against accused in service public servants, a charge sheet for commission of offences under section 5 (1) (d) r/w section 5 (2) PC Act, 2006 BK and Section 467, 468, 471 and 120-B RPC against total 39 accused persons was presented before the Hon’ble Special Judge, Anti-Corruption, Jammu for judicial determination today on 06.01.2022 and the next date of hearing in the instant case FIR has been fixed on 04.02.2022”, it concluded.
By: Sameer Lone
Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir government has chosen a ‘Fortified Milky Way’ to address the health related issues among people especially the issue of increasing malnutrition and increasing cases of anemic women.
As per the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), the percentage of anemia is very high among women and children including children up to the age of 5 years in India, and the situation is further grim in J&K.
In order to tackle the increasing malnutrition, three milk processing units including operating from IGC, Lassipora Pulwama have initiated the process for fortification of milk with vitamin A and D, with the assistance of FSSAI and Food & Drugs Administration,” officials told Precious Kashmir.
Commissioner Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) said the need for fortification of rice, wheat flour, oil and milk with various micronutrients such as vitamin A and D, vitamin B complex, iron and iodine would to a large extent address various health related issues like anemia and malnutrition.
Furthermore, a similar training has been initiated for the Food Business Operators engaged in processing and manufacturing of milk and milk products with regard to food fortification.
According to the FDA Commissioner interactive sessions have been held with the ground officers and officials of Food and Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs, Social Welfare, School Education and Health Departments besides Food Business Operators engaged in manufacturing/processing of milk and milk products, rice and wheat flour.
The representatives of various milk processing units were given training about fortification of milk with Vitamin A and D, said an official.
“The fortification will help provide 15-30 percent of the daily requirement for these Vitamins. The milk fortification is a safe and cost effective method for adding nutrients to milk which is consumed by all people and its consumption by children is reasonably high,” he said.
Vitamin A and D that are added to milk help to improve the body’s immunity against infections, improve vision and help to make the bones strong, he added.
After hanging fire for a considerable period, the Srinagar International airport will finally have a CAT-II instrument landing system. The ILS is said to provide pilot descent guidance signals for landing on the runway under normal as well as adverse weather conditions.
The system, according to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), will be installed in April this year and will be completed by November.
The installation of category-II (CAT-II), a highly accurate and dependable means of navigating to the runway, would help obviate unnecessary delays due to lesser visibility at the Srinagar airport which actually is not a civilian but a defence airport.
While CAT-III B is considered the most modern ILS technology which is generally used in other Airports in the country, the AAI informed the J&K and Ladakh High court during one of the hearings in the PIL, which was closed last year, that IAF has approved CAT-II at the Srinagar Airport.
85 flights to and fro the Srinagar airport had to be canceled since Tuesday which led to chaos and confusion at the airport as hundreds of passengers, mostly tourists, jostled to catch up flights.
“Hopefully, next winter, our visibility requirement will reduce from 900 M to 500 M,” said AAI in a tweet as it also announced the installation of CAT-II ILS in April and its completion in November.
After the high court’s intervention, a lot was done to upgrade the airport. However there is still absence of some important instruments which would have otherwise helped the authorities to manage the airport in a better manner and prevent troubles that creep up and become more noticeable during winters.
The cancellation of flights is most undesirable for airlines and it must be agonizing when the reasons leading to them could be easily obviated. It is hoped that there would be better flight operations as soon as the ILS of approved category is installed. The travelers hope that they don’t have to endure the pain of being away from loved ones due to such cancellations and that they don’t have to be part of chaos or bear the stress of spending hours standing in queues. The government is also expected to ensure all facilities are provided to the travelers. The airport needs to be upgraded to levels as some of the best in the country. Hopefully steps are taken in this direction sooner than later.
By: Jehangeer Ganai
Srinagar: The Government of India has increased the election expenditure of candidates for Lok Sabha polls in Jammu & Kashmir to Rs 95 lakh and in Ladakh to Rs 75 lakh.
According to a notification issued by the Union Law Ministry, the central government, after consulting the ECI, has increased the election expenses of each candidate in Lok Sabha polls in Jammu & Kashmir to Rs 95 lakh from Rs 70 lakh.
The notification also reveals that election expenses of each candidate in Ladakh UT have been hiked to 75 lakh from Rs 54 lakh.
The election expenditure of each candidate for assembly elections in J&K has been hiked to Rs 40 lakh from Rs 28 lakh. The decision of the government is based on the recommendation made by the poll panel.
Last major revision in the election expenditure limit for candidates was carried out in 2014, which was further increased by 10% in 2020.
Simultaneously, the Election Commission formed a committee comprised of Harish Kumar, retd. IRS Officer, Umesh Sinha, Secretary General and Chandra Bhushan Kumar, Sr. Deputy Election Commissioner in Election Commission of India to study the cost factors and other related issues, and make suitable recommendations.
The committee invited suggestions from political parties, chief electoral officers and election observers. The committee found that there has been increase in number of electors and cost inflation index since 2014 substantially. (KNO)
By: Bhat Imran
Srinagar: In order to provide quality education to students, the Ministry of Education (MoE) has asked the Jammu and Kashmir School Education Department to ensure that the books available in government-run-schools are issued to students.
Besides, the MoE has also directed the department to take advantage of the reading campaign launched by the education ministry.
According to the official document, the MoE in a review meeting held recently has said, “It may be ensured that 100 percent books available in school libraries are issued to students.”
In the meeting, the MoE also said that 100 days reading campaign is being launched by the Ministry of Education wherein weekly activities will be carried out pan India. “Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory (UT) needs to take full advantage of the initiative.”
A joint meeting held by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta and Secretary of the Department of School Education and Literacy for the Ministry of Education, GoI to review the educational indicators of the School Education Department in Jammu and Kashmir. (KNO)
Srinagar: The registered gas agency owners here have alleged illegal trade of Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in Pattan and Magam areas of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
Abdul Hamid, owner of Zam Zam gas agency in Pattan said that his agency got commissioned in October last year after it was registered by the Government of India.
However, he alleged that some gas agencies within the district are involved in illegal trade of LPG in Pattan and Magam area, saying that according to the rules, the agency involved in illegal trade has to take the vehicles carrying the LPG cylinders to Delina area of Baramulla, but it is not following the rules as per the norms.
Abdul Hamid demanded that the concerned authorities to look into the matter and ensure that the company norms are followed in letter and spirit. (KNO)
Precious Kashmir was registered in 2014. Today Precious Kashmir can well and truly take pride in the legacy of its work, and in its contribution towards the building of a free and fair Press in J&K state.
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