Srinagar: Additional Chief Secretary, Health & Medical Education, Vivek Bhardwaj on Monday kick-started vaccination drive for children between 15 to 18 years in Kashmir Division at Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Kothi Bagh, Srinagar.

Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, Muhammad Aijaz Assad, Director Health Services Kashmir (DHSK), Dr Mushtaq Ahmad Rather, Director School Education Kashmir, Tasaduq Hussian, CMO Srinagar, DHO Srinagar besides other concerned officials of Health and Education department were present at the event.

Speaking on the occasion, the Additional Chief Secretary said that there is an estimated target of more than 8 lakh children who are scheduled to be inoculated in the vaccination drive at 308 vaccination sites in Jammu division and 514 in Kashmir division.

He said that the vaccination drive for children is very important in order to contain the spread of Covid-19 and expressed hope that the Union Government will keep stock of vaccines available for us so that this process can be completed as soon as possible.

The Additional Chief Secretary said that the Health and Medical Education Department has made elaborative preparations.

He said they recently held a meeting during which a strategy was chalked out in association with the School Education Department and District Administration Srinagar so that they are able to identify children and sites for the vaccination drive.

“We have already received nearly 3 lakh vaccines. We are hopeful that we will complete the fresh vaccination drive within a short period of time. We will soon achieve the vaccination target,” he said.

The Additional Chief Secretary also said the administration is fully prepared to tackle any eventuality as number of beds including ICU, ventilators have been increased by many times besides that oxygen supply has been increased by 10 times.

On the occasion, Director Health Services Kashmir (DHSK), Dr Mushtaq Ahmad Rather said vaccination for children between 15 to 18 years will keep the children safe. He appealed the children to get vaccinated to protect themselves.

Detailing out the importance and benefits of the program, the director has already given strict direction to the staff of the health department to be proactive and ensure in making this national initiative a grand success.

Later, the director visited many vaccination sites. He also inaugurated a vaccination site at Kashmir Institute of Excellence (KIE).

Meanwhile, on the first day of the inoculation drive, 22,905 children between 15 to 18 years age group were vaccinated the first dose at 1172 session sites across Kashmir valley.

Srinagar: Police on Monday said that two militants, one of them a top Lashker-e-Toiba militant and another foreigner, were killed in as many gunfights in Shalimar area in the outskirts of Srinagar city.

“Police alongwith (CRPF and army) neutralized two (militants) including top most wanted militant Saleem Parray of Hajin in two separate successive operations at Shalimar area in the outskirts of Srinagar city,” a police spokesman said in a statement.

He said based on specific input generated by Police regarding presence of militant in Harwan/Shalimar area, a search operation was launched by Police and CRPF in the area.

“During the search operation, the search party was fired upon indiscriminately by hiding militant, which was effectively retaliated, leading to a brief shootout and killing of Saleem Parray, linked with LeT.”

He said soon after it, another operation was carried out by Police, CRPF alongwith Army in Gasu area under police station Zakoora,” he said, adding, “During the operation, one foreign (militant) identified as Hafiz alias Hamza of Pakistan linked with LeT was neutralized.”

As per the police records, he said, Saleem Parray was a categorized militant and was active since 2016 and was wanted in several cases. “He was involved in several civilian killings including killing of Bashir Ahmad Dar and his brother Ghulam Hassan Dar at Shahgund Hajin on 05/05/2018, killing of Hilal Ahmad Parray at Parray Mohalla Hajin on 16/05/2018. Besides, he was also involved in throat slitting of many civilians in Hajin area.”

He was also involved in providing logistic support to the militants operating in the area to carry militant attacks, police said.

While interacting with media persons, IGP Kashmir said that Pakistani militant Hafiz alias Hamza was involved in several cases including recent killing of two policemen at Gulshan Chowk Bandipora on 10 December last year.

“After this incident, he shifted to Harwan area of Srinagar due to frequent cordon & search operations in Bandipora area,” he said, adding, “He was also involved in killing of a CRPF personnel at Hajin Bandipora, killing of a civilian namely Nadif Hanief Khan of Bilal Colony Soura in Buchpora.”

Moreover, he said, both the killed militants were also involved in attack on search party of Police/SFs in Hajin in which one police personnel constable Zaheer Abbas was killed.

“IGP Kashmir congratulated police and SFs for conducting successful operations without any collateral damage,” the spokesman added. (GNS)

Srinagar: Weatherman on Monday issued an advisory for moderate to heavy snowfall in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh from till January 9 and warned about road and aerial traffic disruptions as well as avalanches and drop in day temperature.

“Two Successive Western Disturbances most likely to affect Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh and adjoining areas from 3rd January (late night) to 9^th January (forenoon), 2022,” reads the advisory sent by MeT department to divisional commissioners of Kashmir as well as Jammu.

Under the influence of these weather systems, the weatherman said that widespread moderate rain and snow was expected in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh regions. “Light rain/snow would commence at a few places of Kashmir from 3^rd January evening and thereafter increase in intensity & distribution,” reads the advisory, adding, “Main activity of this system will be occurrence of moderate to heavy rain/snow, most likely during 5^th and 8^th January and gradual decrease thereafter.”

It said the system is likely to cause heavy rain and snow mainly in Pirpanjal Range of Jammu Division (from Bhadcrwah to Banihal), upper reaches of Kashmir (Gulmarg, Sonamarg, Baramulla and Kupwara , and Drass subdivision in Ladakh.

Regarding probable impacts, the weather advisory says that there may be disruption of surface and air transport including Jammu- Srinagar Highway, Srinagar-Leh Highway (Zojila Pass), Leh-Manali, Mughal Road, and Sadhna pass.

“(there are) chances of snow avalanches and landslides in vulnerable areas besides disruption of power supply in hilly areas.” There may water logging in low lying areas besides further dip in day temperatures, it said.

“People in snow bound areas are to avoid venturing into sloppy areas during heavy snow,” it reads, adding, “People are also advised to maintain proper ventilation.”

Srinagar: Amid forecast for moderate to heavy snowfall in next few days, the minimum temperature settled above freezing point across in J&K except Gulmarg and Pahalgam on Monday.

A meteorological department official here said that Srinagar, the summer capital of J&K, recorded a low of 3.0°C against previous night’s 0.3°C. It was 5.0°C over normal for this time of the year.

Kashmir is presently under the grip of 40-day long harshest period of winter, known locally as ‘Chillai Kalan, which started from December 21. It is followed by a 20-day long ‘Chillai Khurd’ and a 10-day-long ‘Chilla Bachha’.

The mercury at the world famous resort of Gulmarg settled at minus 5.8°C against minus 6.2°C on the previous night, he said. Last night’s temperature was above 1°C normal there for this time of the year, he said.

Qazigund, the gateway town of Kashmir, had a low of 1.4°C against minus 1.0°C on the previous night, he said.

Pahalgam, the famous resort in south Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 3.0°C against minus 1.7°C on previous night, he said. It is 4°C above normal for the place during the season.

Kokernag, also in south Kashmir, recorded a low of 0.6°C against minus 1.9°C on previous night, the official said.

Kupwara town in north Kashmir, recorded a minimum of 2.0°C against minus 1.6°C on the previous night, the official said.

Jammu recorded a low of 7.7°C, same as that of the precious night which is almost normal for the J&K’s winter capital during this time of the year, he said.

Ladakh’s Leh recorded a low of minus 9.1°C against last night’s minus 9.1°C while Kargil recorded a minimum of minus 7.6°C, the official added. (GNS)

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday chaired a high-level meeting to assess the internal security situation in the country, and stressed on the threats of terrorism and the need for coordination among central and state agencies.

The meeting was attended by top officials of central agencies and forces apart from police officials of various states through video conference.

“Highlighting the continued threats of terrorism and global terror groups, terror financing, narco-terrorism, organised crime-terror nexus, illicit use of cyber space, movement of foreign terrorist fighters, etc. Home Minister stressed upon the need for better coordination and synergy among the central and state security agencies in countering the ever-changing CT and security challenges,” a statement from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said.

The meeting was held just days after security forces said there were indications that last month’s Ludhiana court blast was linked to Khalistani and narco-militancy elements operating from Pakistan. One person died and several others were injured in the blast inside the Ludhiana District Court Complex on December 23.

Sources said Monday’s meeting was a periodic review organised by the Multi Agency Centre of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), but it was not routine for a home minister to attend it.

“The last time a home minister attended the MAC meeting was in 2012. So that way, it’s significant, in the sense that the home minister wants to keep a close eye on the intelligence sharing mechanism of the country and wants to keenly watch internal security developments,” a Home Ministry official said on the condition of anonymity.

MAC is the nodal agency for exchange of intelligence collected by various agencies and police forces across the country.

The officials, however, added that the meeting did not zoom in on any single issue. “No particular case or incident was focus of the meeting. Various issues concerning internal security of the country were discussed,” another official said, requesting anonymity.

The meeting was also attended by intelligence wings of armed forces, revenue and financial intelligence agencies attended the meeting. (Agencies)

Jammu: The Border Security Force (BSF) shot dead a Pakistani when he tried to sneak into Jammu and Kashmir on Monday morning.

According to BSF sources, the troops noticed a man heading towards the fence from the Pakistan side of the border near Bhule Chak Post in Arnia sector.

“Several warnings were given to him but he came close to the fence and tried to sneak into the Indian Territory,” a source said. The troops then shot him dead.

“The body is still lying close to the International Border,” he source said.

Last month as well, the BSF shot down a woman intruder near Allah Mai Ke Kothe Border Outpost in Ranbir Singh Pura sector.

Amid dense fog in the plains of Jammu near the border, the BSF is on alert to thwart infiltration attempts from Pakistan. (UNI)

Jammu: Director Information and Public Relations, Rahul Pandey, Monday felicitated Gagan Singh Jamwal, departments’ employee, for clinching gold medal in the 59th National Roller Skating Championship held at Mohali, Chandigarh.

Pandey termed the victory of Gagan and his team as a proud moment for the JK UT and DIPR as well. He complimented and wished him a great future ahead with many more medals.

Deputy Director Information (Central) Subash Dogra,  Deputy Director Information (PR) Mridhu Slathia, Deputy Director ((AV)  Chander Parkash Kotwal and Administrative Officer, Anil Kumar Mehta also congratulated Gagan Singh Jamwal and his team members for bringing gold medal for the UT.

Chandigarh: Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh called for working towards development of futuristic technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Big-Data and Block-chain for the overall development of the Nation.

Stating this while inaugurating Kalpana Chawla Centre for Research in Space Science & Technology (KCCRSST) at Chandigarh University on Monday, the Union Minister stressed that progress in space technology will develop scientific temper in the youth of the country and India will move forward in frontier technologies.

Underlining the importance of the space sector in today’s times, he said, it is deeply connected with mapping, imaging and connectivity facilities, speedy transportation, weather forecast, disaster management as well as border security, adding that it played a crucial role in keeping the world connected during the COVID-19 pandemic, from testing to data-transfer and analyses.

The Government understands the potential of the space sector, he said, recalling the four major pillars of reforms in the sector envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. These pillars are freedom of innovation to the private sector, role of the government as an enabler, preparing the youth for the future and viewing the space sector as a resource for progress. He hoped that the actions identified in the pillars will take the space sector to newer heights and give new direction to the country’s progress.

The Defence Minister called for an active and long-term public-private partnership to take the education and science sectors to a global level and make India a knowledge economy.“Today, the private sector is exposed to a large number of opportunities in the space sector. Whether it is defence or space, we are fully welcoming the private sector,” he said, reiterating the Government’s commitment of strengthening the private sector for the holistic development of the Nation.

Listing out some of the measures aimed at tapping the potential of the private sector, Rajnath Singh said, the Government is sharing technology and expertise and opening its various facilities for the industry. He stated that transfer of matured technologies is under consideration. On the setting up of Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), he said, the independent agency will act as a single window for matters related to the space sector.

Rajnath Singh said that the Government is laying special emphasis on promoting the use of space-based applications through every sector. Use of geo-tagging for roads and other infrastructure in villages, monitoring of development works in remote areas through satellite imagery, and identifying problems related to crops and fields for farmers is helping the government in many ways, he added.

The Defence Minister also launched a Scholarship Scheme, worth Rs 10 crore, for the wards of Defence Personnel of the three Services.

He described the establishment of the KCCRSST as an important step towards strengthening the space sector of the country by stressing that it is only through these efforts that India can become a leader in future technologies.

He likened the KCCRSST with ‘pride of India’ Kalpana Chawla, hoping that this research facility would touch new heights of success, similar to the remarkable achievements of the late India-born astronaut who brought universal recognition to her country of origin.

“In the 21st century, the future of India can be secured only when you have a gleam in your eyes to reach the stars and planets. More Indians like Aryabhatta, Vikram Sarabhai, Satish Dhawan and Kalpana Chawla will emerge from amongst you all if you eye different planets and constellations,” he told the students present on the occasion.

Rajnath Singh lauded the Chandigarh University for setting records of success in research and innovation in the last few years. He described the achievements of the University as a symbol of the increasing participation of the private sector in the field of education. He also commended Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for being one of the world’s top space agencies since decades through its hard work and vision.

Remembering late India-born astronaut Kalpana Chawla, the Defence Minister described her as a symbol of women empowerment, who took a flight beyond imagination. He urged the people to maintain her zeal and enthusiasm and motivate their daughters to go ahead and touch unimaginable heights, echoing the Government’s vision of increased participation of women in all sectors.

Established with the objective of training students in space science, satellite development and meet future challenges in space research, the state-of-the-art KCCRSST would be the Ground Control Station for the Chandigarh University’s Student Satellite (CUSat), an in-house developed nano-satellite being designed by the students of the university and a Geo-Spatial Centre for research, besides other projects.

The CUSat will be among the 75 student-built satellites to be launched into space on the eve of the 75thIndependence Day in 2022. The Chandigarh University has joined the list of 13 institutes like Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, IIT Bombay and became the first university in North India to design and develop its own satellite. For the project, 75 students of the University have been working on the Chandigarh University Student Satellite Project under the guidance of eminent Indian scientists.

With the launch of CUSat, Punjab will become the first border state in India to have its own satellite in space. The launch of the university’s nanosatellite – CUSat will prove to be an important step for the country, as it will collect data related to border intrusion detection, agriculture, weather forecasting, natural disaster forecasting, which will be helpful in research and study of various problems in these areas. In addition, the GCS will help develop satellite research facilities and launch satellites in countries that do not have developed satellite technology. (UNI)

Says investment from GCC crucial for growth of UT

Dubai: The Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has witnessed tremendous transformation after the LG administration took over the reign, stated Ranjan Prakash Thakur, Principal Secretary, Industry and Commerce, J&K, while speaking at inaugural ceremony of J&K week at the India Pavilion in EXPO 2020 Dubai on Monday.

The J&K pavilion was inaugurated by Ranjan Prakash Thakur in presence of Dr Aman Puri, Consul General of India in Dubai and Deputy Commissioner General for India at Expo 2020 Dubai.

“We need to develop J&K into a modern and a progressed UT as the destination is abundantly blessed with unique composite culture and incredible heritage besides thousands of years of it’s matchless artwork and handicrafts,” maintained Thakur.

Talking about growth trajectory of the Union Territory, Thakur said that at EXPO 2020 Dubai, we are showcasing the rich heritage of J&K besides the investment opportunities here which have substantially evolved in the last 2 years.

Thakur also highlighted the specific investment opportunities in the region under the leadership of Prime Minister. The Union Territory is witnessing major developments in line with the heritage of the region beautifully displayed at the pavilion.

Principal Secretary also talked about the sectors in J&K which have business potential for growth making a mention of tourism as one of the most crucial sectors. “Kashmir valley will be a key destination for development of hotels, hospitals, handloom and horticulture while Jammu will be focusing on growing sectors such as production, pharma, inland container depot and real estate”, he asserted.

He said that various investors in the GCC region such as Emaar, Noon, Lulu Group and DP World have already shown interest in J&K and will be important stakeholders in driving growth of the UT. “Our delegation from J&K will be visiting various investors to discuss the opportunities available in the UT.”, he added.

As part of the J&K week, Manoj Sinha, Lieutenant Governor of J&K along with other government officials from the UT will hold various G2B, B2G and G2G meetings and invite global investors to invest across key sectors like tourism, handloom and handicraft besides food processing among others.

The J&K week at India Pavilion will also be visited by Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary, Sarmad Hafeez, Secretary Tourism, Mehmood Ahmad Shah, Director Industries Kashmir, Ghulam Nabi Yatoo, Director Tourism Kashmir, Vivekanand Rai, Director Tourism Jammu, Bakshi Javed Humayun and Director SKICC.

Principal Secretary added that the UT of J&K is working towards creating an enabling and entrepreneurial friendly environment for all which will facilitate the sustainable growth and development of Industrial enterprises including Cottage and Village industries.

It was informed that the Jammu and Kashmir week will conclude on 13th January 2022.

Jammu: Chief Secretary Monday directed the Transport Department for improving operational efficiencies in J&K RTC to enable it to post operational profits in next three months.

He passed these directions while reviewing the functioning of the Transport department in which Commissioner Secretary, Transport and other senior officers of the department were present.

Dr. Mehta said that the department has to move towards complete end to end digitalization of all services being rendered on line and ensure introduction of e-office in all the subordinate offices.

The Chief Secretary said that the department should ensure that the fleet of motor cycles purchased by the department is deployed on the National Highways for enforcing lane discipline amongst the commuters.

He further directed the department to take steps to ensure that the road side parking is not allowed anywhere on the National Highways.

Earlier Commissioner/Secretary, Transport in his presentation informed that the department has been generating more revenues from the last 03 years and all the services are being provided by the department on line.

He further informed that the department will implement a vehicle tracking platform for safety and enforcement in J&K to ensure continuous monitoring of all public services vehicle for better road safety of women and girl child.

It was further informed that electricity vehicle policy will be shortly notified and in order to encourage people to buy e-vehicle, 100% exemption from road tax has been allowed on purchase of the e-vehicles.

The Chief Secretary said that there is a need to upgrade bus stands and each district headquarters should have a proper bus stand with all attendant public amenities for the welfare of people.

Dr. Mehta advised the department to use FM channels etc. to inform the people in advance about the status of congestion/traffic flow on various roads in the capital cities of Jammu and Srinagar and on the National Highways so that they can plan their visits accordingly.

The Chief Secretary directed the department to ensure that compensation to the victims of the road accidents is paid within 24 hours of the accident.

Dr. Mehta laid emphasis on enhancing operational efficiencies in J&K RTC and asked the department to ensure that thekilometerage per day per vehicle is suitably increased for better return on investment.

He further said the department needs to institute a robust monitoring system to constantly track the performance of the corporation vehicles for improved results.

The Administrative Secretary, ARI in his presentation informed that the department has vetted the draft recruitment rules of 20 departments during the last the one year.

It was further informed that 8 offices have been administrative inspected so far during the current fiscal year and administrative inspection of 8 more offices will be conducted by the end of the current fiscal year.

He further informed that issuance of NDCs is being done online.

The Chief Secretary directed the department to update recruitment rules and finalize seniority lists of all departments, autonomous bodies and universities within one month.

Dr. Mehta directed the department that all the recruitment rules should be updated and uploaded on the respective websites of the department.

The Chief Secretary directed the department to ensure that administrative inspection of all the offices is conducted at least once in a year for improving efficiencies in the system.