By: Sajid Raina

Bandipora: Three militants were killed while a soldier was wounded in a fierce gun battle in Shokbaba forest area of Sumlar in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district, police said Saturday.

The official said that acting on a specific lead about the presence of militants in Shokbaba forest area, joint teams of police, army’s 13, 14 and 14 RR and CRPF launched a search operation in the wee hours.

“As the forces intensified the searches, the hiding militants opened fire that retaliated, triggering an encounter,” the official said. “In the ensuing gunfight, two militants were killed while firing continued in the area.”

After a few hours of lull, the official said that contact was once again established with one more militant. “He was hiding under the cover of trees and bushes. After an intense exchange of fire, the third militant was also killed.”

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir range, Vijay Kumar said that in total three unidentified militants have been killed and search operation is on.

“One soldier was also injured in the initial exchange of fire who was evacuated to the army’s 92 base hospital,” the IGP said. Defence spokesman in Srinagar Colonel Emron Musavi also said that only one solider had sustained injuries who was evacuated to base hospital. He also said that the operation was underway.

Police sources said that it was being ascertained whether the slain militants had recently infiltrated or were hiding in the forest belt of Shokbaba range. “The area is on a height and covered by dense forest cover,” they said.

Defence sources said that the operation took time given the fact that militants changed their first location from Shokbaba to Aragam where army’s 13 RR engaged them. “There is a tough terrain and the operation was a deliberate one,” they said. They search operation is on to rule out presence of any other hiding militant in the area even as the firing has stopped.

Meanwhile, a police spokesman in a statement said that on a specific input generated by Police regarding presence of militants in the forest area of Shokbaba Sumlar-Aragam area of Bandipora, a joint cordon and search operation was launched by Bandipora Police, 13RR, 14RR, Para (SF), MARCOS (Marine Commandos) and CRPF in the area.

“During the search operation, the hiding militants fired on the joint search party. The fire was retaliated leading to an encounter. In the initial exchange of fire, one army personnel of 14RR received gunshot injuries. He was immediately evacuated to hospital for treatment of his injuries,” the spokesman said, adding that in the ensuing encounter, so far three unidentified militants were killed. “However, operation in the area is still going on. Further details shall be communicated as and when the operation will conclude,” the police spokesman said. (KNO)

Says progressive approach bringing visible changes

Ganderbal: Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha Saturday inaugurated the new Boys Hostel of the Faculty of Forestry worth Rs 5.30 crore and laid stones of Mini-Watershed Project costing Rs 10 crore, Trainees Hostel at Rs 3.80 cr and Academic Block costing Rs 8 cr at SKUAST-Kashmir campus, Benhama in Ganderbal district.

On the occasion, the Lt Governor felicitated the progressive farmers and handed over cheques of Rs 5000 each to 10 awardees of ‘Champion Farmer Award’. He also released 07 publications of Agriculture & Forestry.

Speaking on the occasion, the Lt Governor observed that the progressive and future-oriented approach of the government has brought about visible changes in agro-forestry situation in J&K, leading to the improved productivity, profitability & employability in the said sector.

The Lt Governor appreciated the collective efforts put in by the VC, SKUAST-K and his team for producing human resources in Agriculture and allied disciplines, developing technologies for solving farmer’s problems in agriculture & allied sciences, besides taking the Lab innovations to the Field in a bid to substantially increase the farmer’s income.

Our large population is dependent on agriculture and agro-forestry. The goal of rapid development of villages, forest dwellers, and farming communities can only be achieved by protecting our forest resources and integrating forest products into the new investment policy, the Lt Governor maintained.

J&K is blessed with immense forest wealth which needs to be protected. Our Scientists, senior officials, youth, and other stakeholders must engage themselves in rejuvenation of agro-forest resources, said the Lt Governor.

The Lt Governor asked the concerned officials to ensure that action should be taken against those who have occupied the large forest lands rather than targeting only the poor.

The interest of the poor people who have been living in the forests for generations must be safeguarded, he added.

Speaking on the government’s endeavours to safeguarding the rights and interests of the communities dependent on forests, the Lt Governor stated that the UT Government is committed to fully implement the Forest Rights Act at the earliest.

The administration is working to ensure their rights. We are reaching out to the communities and stakeholders dependent on forests by opening up more opportunities for their livelihood generation, added the Lt Governor.

The Lt Governor also underlined a host of innovative measures taken by the UT Government for branding, marketing, and transportation of local Agro-forestry products.

From GI Tagging of local produce to the Operationalization of Night flights and commencing of International Air Cargo, we have given a greater impetus to strengthening the market connectivity for the farmer’s produce, observed the Lt Governor.

The Central Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is giving a focused attention towards the development and progress of agriculture and allied sectors in the UT.

The Lt Governor also made some suggestions to explore more possibilities of growth and diversification in the agro-forestry industry.

He called for prioritizing the reproductivity of medicinal and aromatic plants, besides conducting a regular survey in this regard and preparing a working plan for the next one year. He also suggested the forestry faculty explore all the possibilities of integrating the forest products like Kot root plant with other growth potential industries.

He further shared the suggestions and inputs received by the farmers from every corner of the UT regarding focus attention to the value addition in agriculture.

We are creating new opportunities for rural employment. With the target of 2 FPOs in each district, the Government is working to create such facilities and ecosystem so that youth could also take up farming as a career option, the Lt Governor maintained.

The Lt Governor made a special mention of the women folks of J&K who are engaged in agriculture and allied sectors and called for opening up of more avenues for the women, in collaboration with JKRLM, for marketing of forest produce with medicinal properties.

Underlining the important role of the young generation in protecting and preserving the green gold, the Lt Governor observed that the increase in the number of youth, especially the girls, indulging in forestry is an encouraging sign.

Our young generation is aware of environmental issues like greenhouse gases; ozone layer depletion, global warming and I believe that they can play an important role in environment conservation and protecting endangered species, added the Lt Governor.

The Lt Governor impressed upon the Youth, Scientists, and faculty members to work with the spirit of Jan Bhageedari in environment protection and dealing with challenges of climate.

Earlier, the Lt Governor inspected the stalls of vegetable varieties installed by the SKUAST-K and also planted a tree sapling on the occasion.

Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary; Prof JP Sharma, VC SKUAST-Kashmir, Pandurang K. Pole, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir; Vijay Kumar, IGP Kashmir; Ajaz Ahmad Bhat, Director-General Horticulture; Prof. TH Masoodi, Dean, Faculty of Forestry and scores of farmers were present on the occasion.

Nuzhat Ishfaq, Chairperson, District Development Council, Ganderbal; Prof. Qayyum Husain, VC, Cluster University of Srinagar, and Prof. Akbar Masood, VC BGSBU were also present.

New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind will begin four-day visit to Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh from today (Sunday).

President Kovind will visit Jammu and Kashmir & Ladakh from July 25 to 28.

In a statement, President’s Secretariat said, “On July 26, the President will pay homage to the indomitable courage and sacrifice of the Indian Armed Forces during the Kargil conflict in 1999 at the Kargil War Memorial Dras (Ladakh) on the 22nd Anniversary of the Kargil Vijay Diwas.”

“On July 27, 2021, the President will grace and address the 19th Annual Convocation of the University of Kashmir in Srinagar,” the statement said.

Anantnag: As per past practice, the “Charri Mubarak” (holy mace of Lord Shiva) was carried to Pahalgam on Saturday for “bhoomi-pujan” and “dhawajarohan” ceremonies.

The rituals began when a group of Sadhus and devotees from Dashnami Akhara led by Mahant Deepindra Giri arrived here early in the morning.

The group was warmly received by Deputy Commissioner Anantnag Dr. Piyush Singla at Pujteng Bijbehara. SSP, Imtiyaz Hussain, SDM Bijbehara, Tehsildars Pahalgam and Bijbehara and other officers were also present on the occasion.

As per age-old tradition, bhoomi-pujan, dhawajarohan etc rituals connected with the annual Charri-Mubarak Swami Amarnathji Yatra were performed at Pahalgam.

The Charri Mubarak was also taken to historical Martand Sun Temple Mattan and similar rituals were performed there.

Jammu: An Army jawan was killed in an accidental mine blast along the Line of Control in Krishna Ghati sector of Mendhar in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district.

Jammu based Defence Spokesman Lt Col Devender Anand on Saturday said that last night, Sepoy Kamal Dev Vaidya was on an operational duty in Krishna Ghati Sector, District Poonch. “While moving during the duty, the Sepoy was critically injured in an accidental mine blast,” he said.

He said that the Army man was immediately evacuated to the nearest medical facility but he succumbed to his injuries later.

Sepoy Kamal Dev Vaidya, 27, belonged to Village- Ghumarwin, PO-Lag-Manwin, Tehsil-Bhoranj, District- Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh. He is survived by his mother.

Vaidya was a brave, highly motivated and sincere soldier. The Nation will always remain indebted to him for the supreme sacrifice and devotion to duty, said the spokesman. (UNI)

Srinagar: The Administrative Council (AC) which met here on Saturday under the chairmanship of the Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, approved the rollout of Nominee Policy for Aadhar enabled Public Distribution System (AePDS) by Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Department.

The decision aims to ensure assured regular supply of food grains to all beneficiaries as per the entitlement under National Food Security Act in a smooth and hassle-free manner.

The new policy will enable beneficiaries in old age, bed-ridden or those living with disabilities to nominate a responsible person after due verification to collect the quota of the subsidized ration on their behalf. Moreover, the nominee will be designated only for single/dual member ration cards where the beneficiary is a senior citizens (above 65 years) / minor (below 15 years) / bedridden / differently abled.

The scheme allows a beneficiary to submit a nomination form either to the Tehsil Supply officer (TSO) or dealer or to the Assistant Director (AD) to add the nominated person to the beneficiary’s family as a nominee with zero entitlement. To avail ration, the nominee will have to visit the respective dealer and complete the KYC registration and biometric authentication.

In case of unavailability of a nominee, respective Tehsil Supply Officer will be designated as a nominee to beneficiaries requiring special assistance for delivering the requisite ration. However, the nominees will not be allowed to draw ration on behalf of other beneficiaries through the portability feature under ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ scheme.

Over the past few months, the Department has undertaken a series of reform measures to ensure food security to the residents of Jammu and Kashmir by timely and efficient distribution of food grains at highly subsidized and affordable prices through a network of 6738 outlets.

Srinagar: The Administrative Council (AC) which met here on Saturday under the chairmanship of the Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, gave administrative approval to the construction of a 500-bedded pediatric hospital at Bemina, Srinagar.

Once operational, the hospital will strengthen the pediatric care facilities in Kashmir division, ease the burden of patient load on the existing tertiary level hospital, and ensure quality maternity, neonatal and pediatric care to the patients.

The project will be upgrading vital pediatric facilities on modern grounds and will be completed at an estimated cost of Rs. 114.81 crore. The new hospital will be equipped with all modern equipment for managing the high risk pediatric cases to further reduce the infant mortality rate.

It will also serve as the Centre of Excellence in Pediatric in Kashmir Division and will assist the Union territory in mitigating a possible third wave of COVID-19 pandemic.

Srinagar: The Administrative Council (AC) which met here Saturday under the chairmanship of the Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, approved the proposal of Power Development Department to upgrade the transformation capacity of Wagoora-Zainakote transmission line by re-conductoring its 220 KV DC line.

Through the project, the Power Development Department will replace the existing 0.4 ACSR by High Temperature Low Sag Conductor (HTLS) of circuit-II of 220 KV (reconductoring of DC 220 KV Line) at an estimated cost of Rs. 24.29 crore.

The project will enable the Power Development Department to meet the additional load demand, lower the T&D losses and ensure reliable power supply to Srinagar, Baramulla and Ganderbal districts.

Additionally, the upgraded Wagoora-Zainakote line will also provide power back up in case of an outage of 220 KV Amaragarh Zainakote DC transmission line.

New Delhi: Budget airline Go First, formerly known as GoAir, has operated the first ever night flight from Jammu to Delhi.

Accordingly, the flight ‘G8 196’ – took off at 8.00 p.m. on Friday and was operated on Airbus A320neo.

“Going forward, Go First will operate scheduled flight from Jammu to Delhi and Srinagar.”

“This heralds the beginning of a new era for the union territory that has long advocated the introduction of night flights for better connectivity with the rest of the country.”

Notably, the airline, will operate four flights a week from Jammu on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday to Delhi and three flight from Jammu on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday to Srinagar, respectively.

According to Kaushik Khona, Chief Executive Officer, Go First: “This initiative will assist the farming community and also strengthen the tourism sector, which plays a major role in the economic growth of the region.”

“We will continue to provide better connectivity and play a role in the economic development of J&K. Go First is also strengthening the network across the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir by enhancing the number of flights to-and-from Jammu to Delhi and Srinagar.”

Earlier this year, the carrier signed an MoU with the J&K government for the transport of perishable horticulture and agriculture produce to international markets at competitive rates.

This is a boon to farmers in the region and is aiding them generate an optimum return for their produce, the airline said.

Jammu: In the wake of increased drone activities, the Border Security Force on Saturday lodged protest with its counterparts Pakistan Rangers during Sector Commander Level meeting held at Suchetgarh along international border here.

BSF spokesman said that on the request of Pakistan Rangers, a Sector Commander Level meeting was held between Border Security Force and Pakistan Rangers on International Border in Suchetgarh area.

The spokesman said that during meeting, Commanders of both the border guarding Forces, discussed various issues with main emphasis by BSF delegation on Pak Drone activities, Terrorists activities by Pakistan from across the border, digging of tunnels by Pakistan and other issues related to Border management.

A very strong protest was lodged by BSF delegates regarding Drone activities by Pakistan authorities in Jammu Area.

The BSF delegation was led by Surjit Singh, DIG, Border Security Force and Pakistan Rangers delegation was led by Brig Murad Hussain, Sector Commander Pakistan Rangers, Sialkot Sector.

It was the first Sector Commander Level meeting between two border guarding Forces, after declaration of Cease Fire agreement by DGMOs.

He said that it was decided to re-energize instant communication between field Commanders, whenever required, to resolve the operational matters.

“Meeting was held in a cordial, positive and constructive atmosphere and both side agreed for expeditious implementation of the decisions taken in the earlier DG level talks and committed to each other to maintain peace and harmony at International Border,” he said. (UNI)