Inaugurates Gymnastics Academy of UT

Jammu: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Friday said that the government’s new sports policy will be unveiled within a month and that it is in the process of notifying new rules to provide better job opportunities to prominent players.

Sinha inaugurated the Gymnastics Academy of J&K at MA Stadium. It is one of North India’s premier gymnastics training facilities.

The Lt Governor also attended the closing ceremony of National level 56th Artistic & 25th Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships.

On the occasion, the Lt Governor announced that the Government of J&K will bear all the expenses of Para Athletes Chandeep Singh and Mohd Sultan Rather for the World Para Taekwondo Championship, to be held in Istanbul, Turkey.

Addressing the gathering, the Lt Governor congratulated the sportspersons and budding gymnasts for the opening of the Gymnastics Academy.

He said that the Gymnastics Academy will identify the talents, hone their abilities and provide them all support to bring laurels at Olympics and International level.

The Lt Governor observed that the formal inauguration of the Gymnastics Academy awaited for many years shows the strong resolve of the Jammu and Kashmir administration to strengthen the resources of sports and make sports an important part of the society.

We are committed to extend all-out support to the local talent to scale new heights of success. Sportspersons who made J&K and the nation proud will get due recognition of their achievements, the Lt Governor said.

J&K Government is involving all stakeholders and Policy Advocacy Research Center for the effective implementation of the new sports policy, which will be unveiled within a month, observed the Lt Governor.

We are also in the process of notifying new rules to provide better job opportunities to the renowned players, he added.

Underscoring the ground-breaking initiatives taken to create a flourishing sports culture at the grassroots level, the Lt Governor said that the UT Government is giving focused attention to develop world class infrastructure, arranging the best coaches, implementing new policies for laying a solid foundation for the budding sportspersons and making J&K the Power House of sports.

We are all set to complete the 615 projects, under UT CAPEX, including Renovation and Upgradation of all Sports Infrastructure by March 2022. Apart from this, 190 projects (out of 520) for creating world-class sports infrastructure in all schools and colleges of J&K have been completed. Out of 31 projects under the Prime Minister’s Development Package, 25 projects have been completed till date, the Lt Governor observed.

The combined budget of education and sports of Jammu and Kashmir is Rs 2386 crores, which is way more than various bigger States and UTs.

Besides, Youth Services and Sports, this year, is allocated with a budget of Rs 513 crore. At least 17 lakh youth will be provided sports opportunities and Youth clubs have been established in all the panchayats, all urban wards of the UT which will bring out the best sporting talent of J&K, he added.

The Lt Governor appreciated the Sports Council for organizing more than two lakh activities this year to realize the vision of “har din Khel, Sabhi ke Liye Khel”.

On the occasion, the Lt Governor interacted with the Gymnasts of all States/UTs, and felicitated the outstanding sportsperson of J&K with cash awards.

A cheque of Rs 5 lakh was handed over to paralympian Rakesh Kumar, and Rs 2 lakh to Shooter Chain Singh.

In her welcome address, Nuzhat Gul, Secretary J&K Sports Council briefed the features of Gymnastics equipment and other facilities which are being created in Jammu for the coming generation.

About 600 Gymnasts including officials from different States/UTs participated in Gymnastics Championships organized under the aegis of Gymnastics Federation of India and J&K Olympic Association in collaboration with J&K Sports Council, it was informed.

Prominent others present on occasion were Chander Mohan Gupta, Mayor JMC; Farooq Khan, Advisor to Lt Governor; Alok Kumar, Principal Secretary Youth Services and Sports; Mukesh Singh, ADGP Jammu; Dr. Raghav Langer Divisional Commissioner Jammu; Er. Kiran Wattal President J&K Gymnastics Association; Kaushik Bidiwala from Gymnastics Federation of India Sh. Rajesh Gupta Chairman Organizing Committee and others.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday criticised the colonial mindset of the developed nations and said it is “bringing obstacles in the country’s progress”.

Speaking at an event organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) to commemorate the Constitution Day, the Prime Minister said that Freedom of Expression is being distorted and used as colonial hegemony to stall a developing nation like India from achieve its aspirations.

“Today, no nation directly exists as a colony to any other nation, but it doesn’t mean that the colonial mindset has ended. It’s still there,” he stated.

“It’s unfortunate that obstacles are brought in the development of our nation, sometimes in the name of freedom of expression and sometimes through other means. They attempt to judge our nation on parameters of other nations, without knowing our situation or aspirations. Our progress to reach the stage of a developed nation is regularly impeded,” Modi added.

The Prime Minister’s rant was directed to the events that unfolded at COP26. He said the subject of environment is being hijacked by developed countries to maintain supremacy over developing countries.

He said, “The routes they took towards their development is chastised, when taken by developing nations. Attempts are made to close down such paths. The issue of the environment is also being attempted to be hijacked for this purpose. We saw an example of this in the recent COP26 Summit.

“If we talk of absolute cumulative emissions, developed nations have caused 15 per cent more emissions than India since 1850 to date. Still, India is lectured on environmental conservation. The country has nature embedded in its tradition, where God is seen even in plants, where the land is worshipped as the mother. For us, these values are not just confined to books,” he added. (UNI)

‘Naranag, Harwan among major places deserve status of UNESCO world heritage sites’

Srinagar: The National Monuments Authority (NMA) has said that the Jammu and Kashmir was sitting on a treasure of world class heritage sites and that several places like Harwan, Naranag and Parihaspora are among the major places which deserve the status of UNESCO world heritage sites.

It also conducted a detailed survey of Important Hindu and Buddhist Monument sites of Kashmir Valley.

The survey was carried out by Chairman NMA, Tarun Vijay along with the officials of Directorate of Archives, Archaeology and Museums, Government of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Chairman in spite of being disabled and wheel chair bound did an extensive tour of the Hindu and Buddhist temples and monument sites like Rainawari, Martand Temple, Awantipora, Harvan Buddhist site, Parihaspura, Pattan, the Naranag group of temples and other sites in Srinagar including Shri Pratap Singh Museum.

During the survey, Tarun Vijay said, this first of its kind exercise in Kashmir valley is result of hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision to revive and restore the cultural glory of J&K while promoting the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’. He also observed that immediate steps need to be taken to conserve and preserve these monuments.

While highlighting about the presence of several heritage sites across Jammu and Kashmir,  the chairman said that NMA is preparing a well-crafted plan to achieve UNESCO world heritage site status for several monuments here.

“Martand, Parihaspora, Naranag and Harwan are among the major sites which deserve the status of UNESCO World Heritage sites.”

“Jammu and Kashmir is sitting on a treasure of world class heritage sites and the NMA will work hand in hand with J&K Government and ASI to ensure that these sites are taken up in tentative list of World Heritage sites and consequently into UNESCO list of the World Heritage sites,” NMA Chairman observed.

The Chairman also appreciated the efforts of Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, who has infused new enthusiasm among officers to protect heritage and has started a new campaign for the protection of cultural heritage in Jammu and Kashmir.

Tarun Vijay also complimented the Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, Aijaz Assad for initiating the renovation process of Vicharnag Temple.

He also applauded the efforts of central and local officers who have worked hard in spite of several challenges. He added that special certificates of honour will be given to them for their dedicated services in preserving these rich cultural treasures.

The Chairman while acknowledging the work of ASI officers, said that more than 19 cases of encroachment and violation of law have been registered by ASI against the encroachers in Naranag only.

During his survey of Rainawari’s ancient Vitaal Bhairav Temple, the Chairman asked the officials that the process should be initiated to list the site on Central and local ASI list.

Tarun Vijay also asked the officers that adequate staff be deployed for upkeep and protection of these cultural heritage treasures and in coming days proper budget and funds will be allocated for same.

Reviews functioning of PDD, asks officials to check power pilferage

Jammu: Chief Secretary, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta was on Friday informed that Kashmir has registered 64,588 million units of energy consumption so far. Dr. Mehta was chairing a meeting to review the functioning of the Power Development Department.

Principal Secretary, Power Development Department, Managing Directors, Jammu/Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited, Chief Engineers, and other senior officers of the Department attended the meeting.

It was informed that in the current financial year so far, Kashmir registered 64,588 million units of energy consumption, which is 7.98% higher than the previous year’s consumption of 59,796.19 million units.

Similarly, there is a 17.33% increase in the peak load consumption in Kashmir which indicates the rapidly increasing demand for electricity and its peak load over last year.

The Chief Secretary reviewed the earlier directions of replacement of damaged transformers within 12 hours in main towns and 24 hours in other areas and directed strict implementation of the timelines.

In order to monitor unscheduled cuts, he directed submission of daily reports related to the system average interruption frequency index (SAIFI) and system average interruption duration index (SAIDI); number of damaged transformers and time taken for replacements.

The Chief Secretary directed the department to rationally analyze the supply and demand of electricity in various regions of the Union Territory and raise awareness on the feeder-wise authorized electricity drawal limit.

Besides, the department was also asked to undertake an extensive IEC campaign in both print and social media and garner public support for judicious use of electricity in collaboration with the Panchayats and Urban Local Bodies.

“The responsible use of electricity will minimize transformer damage on account of overloading besides reducing the unscheduled power cuts” Dr. Mehta said. He asked the department to proactively manage the power load.

To make public grievance redressal prompt and efficient, especially in times of power failure, the department was asked to publicize the helpline numbers established in this regard and issue SMS alerts and notifications to such consumers whose mobile numbers are available in the PDD database; on all scheduled and unscheduled power cuts.

Further, the department was also asked to fix the responsibility of unauthorized connections/power pilferage especially from feeders reporting electricity load above the permissible limit; on the concerned line staff and take disciplinary action for their inefficiency in taking corrective measures. The divisional and district administrations will also be involved in the enforcement efforts. It was further directed that responsibility be fixed for transformer outages.

The Chief Secretary directed regular surveillance and enforcement drives to disconnect illegal power connections so that consumers are able to get power without undue interruptions.

By: Nadeem Nadu

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir reported four deaths due to the covid-19 while 174 persons tested positive for the virus in the last 24 hours, officials said on Friday.

Among the fresh cases, 43 were reported from Jammu Division and 131 from Kashmir, taking the overall tally to 336237.

There were four deaths— three from Kashmir and one from Jammu division— due to the virus during the last 24 hours, they said. So far 4470 persons—2185 in Jammu and 2285 in Kashmir—have died due to the pathogen, they said.

Giving district wise details of the fresh cases, the officials said that Srinagar reported 63 cases, Baramulla 23, Budgam 17, Pulwama 0, Kupwara 13, Anantnag 0, Bandipora 9, Ganderbal 6, Kulgam 0, Shopian 0, Jammu 17, Udhampur 1, Rajouri 1, Doda 10, Kathua 1, Samba 0, Kishtwar 0, Poonch 6, Ramban 1 and Reasi 6.

A number of these cases were confirmed at CD hospital’s diagnostic labouratory and include female (46) (NA) from Bemina Sgr, male (75) (NA) from Sgr, female (34) (NA) from Pahru, male (55) (NA) from Kralteng, female (60) (NA) from Sgr, male (50) (NA) from Ganderbal, female (30) (NA) from Sgr, male (51) (NA) from Budgam main, male (60) (NA) from Haran main, male (37) (NA) from Haran main, male (37) (NA) from Haran main, female (42) (NA) from Kalmoona Kupwara, female (30) (NA) from Vilgam Kupwara, male (36) (NA) from Mawar, female (23) (NA) from Wudipora handwara, female (40) (NA) from Chandpora harwan, female (78) (NA) from Danpora nishat, female (28) (NA) from Lalbazar, male (70) (NA) from Baramulla, female (90) (NA) from HMT, male (71) (NA) from Zakura, female (69) (NA) from Soura, female (35) (NA) from Batamaloo, female (60) (NA) from Burzahama and male (48) (NA) from Eidgah.

Moreover, 157 Covid-19 patients recovered during the time, 26 from Jammu Division and 131 from Kashmir, they said.

So far 330048 patients have recovered, leaving active case tally at 1719—264 in Jammu and 1455 in Kashmir.

They said there was no new confirmed case of mucormycosis (black fungus) reported today. So far 49 black fungus cases have been confirmed in J&K, the officials said.

The officials also informed that 43661 doses of covid-19 vaccine were administered during the time in J&K. (GNS)

Srinagar: Divisional Commissioner (Div Com) Kashmir, Pandurang K Pole Friday held a detailed review of status and progress of major developmental projects executed by JKPCC, PHE, PWD and KPDCL in Kashmir region and directed officers to strictly adhere to the original timeframe fixed for the completion of these projects.

The Div Com also directed officers to utilize winter period to the full capacity to complete projects before stipulated time and warned them for missing the timelines.

Pole reviewed the progress of work on major projects including GMC Baramulla,  GMC Anantnag, Govt College of Engineering at Safapora, 200 Beded District Hospital Ganderbal, Additional Gynecology Block of Lal Ded Hospital, District Hospital Ganderbal, Multi level parking at Hazratbal,  Watalbagh Babsipora Bridge Ganderbal, Shariefabad Bridge, Govt College Singpora Pattan, 100 Bedded Girls Hostel Ganderbal,  transit accommodation at 22 locations in various districts and several other projects.

He also reviewed the status of work of several power grid stations and transmission lines including Chadoora GS, Mirbazar Transmission line, Budgam to railway station transmission line, Tengpora Grid station, GIS Sub Station Lassipora, besides removal of junk pipes from Kokernag Spring, Water Supply Scheme, Brenti Batapora Anantnag, Regional Water Supply Scheme Shangus, Water Supply Scheme Rakhi Khoi, other projects of PHE, I&FC and R&B.

Meanwhile, Div Com set mid and ending December as deadline for several projects whose 90 percent works stands completed and also fixed deadlines for other projects.

He also enjoined on officers that all the utilities including drinking water, power and road connectivity for transit accommodation projects shall also be included in the DPR and completed with the projects.