New journey of development to take UT to levels never seen before: LG

Jammu: The Government of Jammu & Kashmir signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the world renowned healthcare company Apollo Hospitals for the establishment of a multi-specialty hospital in Jammu.

In presence of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, the MoU was signed between Sh. Ranjan Prakash Thakur, Principal Secretary to J&K Government, Industries & Commerce Department and Dr. Preetha Reddy, Executive Vice Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd.

Speaking on the occasion, the Lt Governor Manoj Sinha observed the MoU is another major milestone for J&K.

“We have embarked on a new journey of development & socio-economic growth, which will take J&K UT to levels never seen before”, the Lt Governor said.

With greater industry engagement & greater investment, J&K will grow from strength to strength in the years to come, added the Lt Governor.

Besides, providing best healthcare facilities, the venture will bring huge direct and indirect employment opportunities for the locals, said the Lt Governor.

The Lt Governor said that J&K is the only UT/State in the country with universal health insurance coverage for up to Rs. 5 lakh per family. We are also having an extensive budget for the health sector.

More healthcare projects and MoUs are in the pipeline to ensure best healthcare within the reach of every citizen of the UT, added the Lt Governor.

In the first phase, Apollo Hospitals will set up a 250-bed hospital in the region. Well-known for clinical excellence, Apollo has a robust presence across the healthcare ecosystem, providing high-quality, patient-focused medical care.

Ranjan Prakash Thakur, Principal Secretary to J&K Government, Industries & Commerce Department spoke on the health facilities to be extended to the people of the UT through the MoU.

Dr. Preetha Reddy, Executive Vice Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited shared the vision of the Apollo hospitals to establish state-of-the-art health facilities in the UT.

We understand that the health sector creates vast job opportunities and this project will also generate more than 1000 direct employment. That is the responsibility which all of us collectively have set forth to discharge. Apart from this, it will also become the training centre not only for doctors, but also for the nurses, paramedics, technicians, and allied healthcare workers, said Dr. Reddy.

Tomorrow when J&K would become a hub for healthcare tourism, people from rest of the world can also be treated here. In a way, this project will help us heal the world, she added.

We are committed to bring specialists in various healthcare sectors on board. Trained health personnel are required to efficiently look after the people in need of medical attention. We are happy to bring good standard of training, learning and skilling in the health sector to J&K.

This is a very progressive step. We are thankful to Lt Governor for giving us this opportunity.  I believe that it’s a giant leap of faith but it is a project which will put us on the global map, Dr. Reddy said.

Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary; Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary, Finance Department; Vivek Bhardwaj, Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Medical Education Department; Dheeraj Gupta, Principal Secretary, H&UDD; Anoo Malhotra, Director, I&C, Jammu, besides other senior officers were present during the MoU signing ceremony at Civil Secretariat.

Says Govt’s thrust is to create sustainable employment for artisans

Jammu: Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha Tuesday chaired a meeting to review the performance achieved under various schemes being implemented by the J&K Khadi and Village Industries Board, at the Civil Secretariat.

During the meeting, the Lt Governor also discussed the future course of action of KVIB and the Industries department to exploit the full potential of the micro industries sector, besides creating a host of employment opportunities for youths in rural areas.

The Lt Governor called upon the functionaries of the Board to enhance the impact of demand driven programmes for maximum benefits to the citizens, besides revising targets under different schemes as per the response received from public. ‘It is our responsibility to make the Board a valuable contributor to the overall progress of the J&K UT’, he added.

It was informed that KVIB has recorded its highest ever performance in job creation under the Prime Minister Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP).

In FY 2021-22, till 25th Dec, KVIB against the target of 26,000 jobs generated 90,000 jobs across J&K, providing impetus to Aatma-Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan & Vocal for Local, the Lt Governor remarked.

The Lt Governor noted that the UT administration is taking steps for the upgradation of products manufactured by KVIB Units.

“Our thrust is to support Cottage and Village industry, strengthening traditional art and creating sustainable employment for artisans,” he added.

The Lt Governor called for further strengthening the efforts to improve entrepreneurial ecosystem among women, weaker and marginalized section. He issued instructions for onboarding maximum nationalized banks for extending benefits under J&K Rural Employment Generation Programme (JKREGP).

Explicit directions were also passed to ensure Aadhaar seeding of the beneficiaries, issuance of Artisan Credit Card to eligible beneficiaries, besides taking regular feedback from the beneficiaries of various schemes.

The Lt Governor instructed the officials for conducting an Information, Education & Communication campaign to reach out to the maximum population with the working of Khadi & Village Industries Board and the Industries department to showcase how the initiatives and schemes are transforming the lives of ordinary citizens.

Earlier, Dr Hina Shafi Bhat, VC, J&K Khadi & Village Industries Board gave a detailed presentation on the programmes/schemes being implemented by the Board to provide continuous and sustainable employment to a large segment of traditional and prospective artisans, rural and urban unemployed youth for their better livelihood, besides the future activities of J&K KVIB.

The chair was also briefed about the efforts made by the KVIB for facilitating ex-Servicemen and Veer Naris.

Discussion was also held on establishment of Scheme of Funds for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI) Clusters; Khadi Plaza; besides implementation of J&K Urban Employment Generation Programme, and other important issues.

Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary; Nitishwar Kumar, Principal Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor; RK Chhibber, Chairman J&K Bank; Ranjan Prakash Thakur, Principal Secretary to Government; Anoo Malhotra, Director Industries & Commerce Jammu, besides other concerned officers were present during the meeting.

Hotels jam-packed as tourism deptt organizes week-long events

By: Ahmad Shabir

Srinagar, Dec 28: After two years of dismal tourism due to Covid-19 pandemic, the famed tourist spot, Pahalgam is witnessing a huge rush of tourists on the eve of New Year.

Most of the hotels with winter facilities remain fully occupied with tourists from different states of India ahead of New Year. Tourism department has decided to organise week-long New Year festival to welcome the tourists, visiting the spot.

The festival began on December 25 and will end on the night of December 31.

For last three days, the singers, musicians and dancers have been enthralling the guests at Pahalgam club.

According to tourism officials, all the hotels operating during the winters in Pahalgam are jam-packed for last several days.

“Pahalgam is packed. Tourists have been arriving in large numbers to celebrate the New Year. It is difficult to get a room in Pahalgam these days as almost all the hotels which remain operational during winter season at the spot are fully occupied,” Assistant Director Tourism, Pahalgam, Bilal Ahmad told Precious Kashmir.

He said that only A class and B class hotels are operational in Pahalgam during winters and all of them are packed ahead of new year.

“We have around 600 rooms available for winter accommodation. All of them are occupied. This year it has been a record rush of tourists both during summer and winter,” tourism officer said.

The week-long New Year celebration at the famed spot, the officer said, is aimed to welcome tourists intending to celebrate the occasion in the Valley and conveying a message that Kashmir is always ready to host the guests.

According to figures shared by the officials, 453340 tourists visited Pahalgam since January 2021. Among them 231637 are domestic tourists from different parts of India while as 222397 are locals.  Officials put the number of foreign tourists having visited Pahalgam during this period at 306.

Locals associated with the tourism industry, however, said that the number is much higher than the official figure.

Srinagar: A senior J&K Police officer who headed the Special Investigation Team to probe the November 15-16 Hyderpora encounter on Tuesday said the building owner Altaf Bhat- who was among the four killed- was used as a “human shield ” by the Pakistani militant and was killed in “cross-firing”.

Deputy Inspector General of central Kashmir Sujit Kumar who headed the SIT probe said Dr Mudassir Gul, was shot dead by the Pakistani militant Bilal Bahi who was killed in the gunfight.

Kumar who addressed the press conference in presence of J&K Director General of Police, Dilbag Singh and Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Vijay Kumar, said Amir Magrey was Bilal’s associate.

On November 15-16, four persons were killed during an encounter at Hyderpora in Srinagar. Police initially said two militants including a suspected Pakistani, Haider alias Bilal Bhai and his associate Amir Ahmad, resident of Banihal (a hybrid militant), a militant associate Dr Mudassir Gul and building owner Altaf Bhat were killed during the operation.

Families of Bhat, Gul and Aamir contested police claims saying the three were civilians. The four were buried at Handwara forests in north Kashmir. After protests, the bodies of Bhat and Gul were handed over to the families for burial.

“The building owner Altaf was made a human shield by the militant and killed in a cross-fire. Mudassir was killed by the militant,” DIG said.

In a detailed presentation about the investigations, he said the CCTV footage and other evidence show that building owner Altaf was used as a human shield by Bilal Bhai, who was living in Mudassir Gul’s chamber along with Amir Magray.

The DIG said that CCTV footage shows that Gul used to travel with the foreign terrorist in his vehicle in Srinagar city.

“Amir used to travel to Bandipora and Gurez,” DIG Kumar said adding that “foreign terrorist used Dr Mudassir Gul’s apartment as his hideout.”

He said Bilal Bahi has infiltrated through Gurez. He said that when the operation was launched Magray lied about the presence of foreign terrorist in the building.

“We had information about a foreign and a local militant hiding in the building after which searches were launched. Two pistols and four magazines were recovered from the encounter site,” the DIG said.

He said that the family of the building owner hasn’t given them proper replies as to who was living on the rent, what was their rent payment system, rent deed etc. “There are no satisfactory details from Altaf’s family as to whom the building chamber have been rented,” he said.

The SIT head said that they have confessional statements who have confirmed the identity of the foreign militant.

“Amir had even sent a picture to a friend with a pistol,” he said, adding that Amir facilitated Bilal’s accommodation in Srinagar.

Meanwhile, the J&K government has received the magisterial inquiry report regarding the Hyderpora encounter.

“The inquiry report has been received by the Government and the District Magistrate has been advised to send the report to the Judicial Magistrate having jurisdiction under section 190 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, as mandated under law,” a statement by the government said. (UNI)

Inaugurates 24 bridges including 2 in Sonamarg

New Delhi: Strong infrastructure in border areas is essential in today’s ‘uncertain times’, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday while dedicating 24 bridges and three roads built by the Border Roads Organisation in four states and two Union Territories.

Out of the 24 bridges, nine are in Jammu and Kashmir, five each in Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh, three in Uttarakhand and one each in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. Out of the three roads, two are in Ladakh and one is in West Bengal.

“We faced our adversary in the Northern sector recently with grit and determination. It could not have been possible without proper infrastructural development,” Singh said addressing the virtual event from New Delhi.

“The BRO has been fulfilling its duties with utmost dedication. Strong infrastructure in border areas is essential in today’s uncertain times as it strengthens strategic capabilities,” said Rajnath Singh.

“As we move forward in the direction of strengthening our border infrastructure, we have to bolster our surveillance systems as well.

“Problems of infiltration, skirmishes, illegal trade and smuggling, etc often persist in border areas. In view of this, Government had started Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System sometime back,” he said.

The projects were completed on important road axis and laterals along the Northern and Eastern borders of the country.

The main highlight was the inauguration of India’s first indigenous Class 70 140-feet DoubleLane Modular Bridge.

Built at the height of 11,000 feet at Flag Hill Dokala, Sikkim and Chisumle-Demchok road at Umling La Pass at over 19,000 feet in Ladakh, the bridge also holds the Guinness World Record of world’s highest motorable road, a statement by the Defence Ministry said.

Terming the inauguration as a reflection of the BRO’s commitment to the progress of border areas, Rajnath Singh exuded confidence that these construction works would go a long way in the development of strong border infra.

He said the road at Umling-La pass will enable faster movement of Armed Forces, boost tourism and ensure socio economic development of the region.

“Roads in border areas cater to the strategic needs and ensure equal participation of remote areas in the development of the nation,” he said.

BRO has been praised in recent times for its perseverance in achieving the feat despite the challenges of sub-zero temperatures and high altitude.

The indigenous Double-Lane Modular Bridge has been developed at a much lower cost and can be dismantled, if needed, said the minister.

“The Bridge will pave the way for the construction of more bridges in such areas,” said Rajnath Singh while adding that the Bridge is a symbol of the Government’s resolve to provide faster connectivity to border areas.

Earlier in June this year, the defence minister had dedicated to the Nation 12 roads and 63 bridges totalling 75 projects – in 75th year of Independence.

The minister also made mention of the recent milestones of the BRO, including Atal Tunnel, Kailash Mansarovar road, inauguration of 54 bridges and setting up of Centres of Excellence on ‘Road Safety’ & ‘Roads, Bridges, Tunnels and Air-fields’.

Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Science & Technology Dr Jitendra Singh, Army Chief Gen MM Naravane, DG BRO Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhry and senior officials of Ministry of Defence were present on the occasion. GOC Chinar Corps Lt Gen DP Pandey attended the event virtually. (UNI)