Srinagar: The Meraj-un-Nabi (SAW) was celebrated with religious fervor and gaiety in the valley on Friday.

No night-long prayers were held in mosques and other worship places due to Covid-19 concern.

The Wakf board had banned night-prayers in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The main congregation was held at Aasar-e-Sharief Hazratbal, which houses the Holy Relic of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) on the bank of Dal Lake.

Braving rain and chilly winds due to fresh snowfall on upper reaches, thousands of devotees thronged Hazratbal shrine to offer Friday prayers to have glimpse of holy relic.

The holy relic was displayed after all the prayers today.

Large number of devotees, including women and children, had the glimpse of holy relic this morning despite rain and chilly weather conditions.

The traffic department had announced one-way traffic from different parts of the valley to shrine for today.

Reports of Meraj-un-Nabi (SAW) celebrations were received from other parts of the valley.

Srinagar: Former law minister Syed Basharat Bukhari on Friday quit National Conference.

Bukhari conveyed his decision to the party through a written communiqué to NC president Farooq Abdullah.

“Very respectfully, I hereby disassociate from the party from this day (March 12, 2021) onwards. Please be kind enough to acknowledge the above mentioned expression and oblige,” Bukhari wrote in his letter to Abdullah.

In a separate letter to NC Vice President and former

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Basharat Bukhari expressed his gratitude for his love and affection towards him during his brief stint as party member.

Bukhari, who was minister in PDD-BJP coalition government, had joined National Conference in December 2018 after the fall of PDP-BJP coalition government headed by Mehbooba Mufti in June 2018.

Responding to the news of Bukhari’s disassociation from the party, Omar Abdullah took to micro-blogging site twitter and wrote, “It wasn’t to be. I wish Basharat all the best for wherever his political journey takes him next.”

Sinha assures full support for strong 3-tier Panchayati Raj System in JK

Jammu: The District Development Council (DDC) delegates Friday met the Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha here at Raj Bhavan.

The interaction was held in a pleasant and amicable atmosphere.

Reiterating J&K Government’s commitment to safeguarding the interests of DDC representatives, Lt Governor observed that the three-tier Panchayati Raj system was established to empower the grass-root democracy.

“Now, the true democracy is flourishing in the UT, which is not merely about governance but feeling of fraternity, brotherhood, and attitude of respect and reverence towards each other. We have to work together to meet the developmental aspirations of the people. The administration will ensure the three-tier Panchayati Raj system is strengthened in the UT,” Sinha told the DDC members.

The delegation comprised DDC Chairpersons, Vice-Chairpersons, and members including Bharat Bhushan, Saraf Singh Nag, Bari Andrabi, Irfan Panditpuri, Ms. Nuzhat Ishfaq, Ms. Tazeem Akhter, Malik Aftab, Ms. Juhi Manhas, Dr. Shamshad Shah, TS Tony, Shahnawaz, Suleman Mir, and Riyaz Bhat, who met the Lt Governor.

BVR Subrahmanyam, Chief Secretary; Rohit Kansal, Principal Secretary, PDD and  Information Department, and Sheetal Nanda, Secretary, Department of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj were also present during the interaction.

LG, Dir Info condole demise of Sumbria

Jammu:  A young KAS officer, who was presently posted as District Information Officer, died after suffering massive heart at his residence in Udhampur district.

Officials said that the officer, Sajad Sumbria (KAS) suffered cardiac attack at his residence in udhampur today morning and was brought to emergency wing of district hospital udhampur at 8.20am.

“He was immediately attended by Dr Arjun, doctor on duty. Immediate ECG was done and other necessary protocols were followed.

Physician Dr Vinod and Anaesthesia consultants Dr Atri and Dr Kailu attended him but he could not be revived and was declared brought dead at 8.40am,” they said.

Sumbria also remained BDO Mandi in Poonch.

Meanwhile, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha condoled the demise of KAS officer.

In his condolence message, the Lt Governor expressed sympathy with the bereaved family and prayed for eternal peace to the departed soul.

Director Information and Public Relations, Rahul Pandey, along with the employees of the department, also condoled the demise of District Information Officer, Udhampur.

In this connection, a condolence meet was chaired by Director Information here which were attended by all the officers and employees of DIPR.

The officers and employees expressed deep sorrow and grief over the demise of young officer.

They highlighted the contributions of the departed soul in the department and said that his death was a great loss to the department.

They said Sajad was an asset to the department who always performed his duties professionally and diligently.

The officers and employees also offered their deepest condolences to the bereaved family and prayed for eternal peace to the departed soul and courage for the bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss.

Pays tributes to Brig Rajinder says, “We must work towards sustainable & inclusive development”

Samba:  Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha led the “Azaadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav” celebrations in J&K by visiting Bagoona, Samba, the birthplace of first recipient of Maha Vir Chakra Brigadier Rajinder Singh, where he inaugurated the curtain raiser event of the mega celebrations.

The Lt Governor paid tributes to Brigadier Rajinder Singh and flagged off a bike & cycle rally and tableau to mark the occasion.

The inaugural ceremony witnessed a series of events filled with patriotic ethos giving glimpses of the 75 weeks long commemorative celebrations of the 75th Independence Day.

Speaking on the occasion, Sinha called upon the people to actively and enthusiastically participate in “Azaadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav” and renew their resolve to build a new India together.

“A New India – as Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called for in his address to the nation from the ramparts of Red Fort on August 15, 2017 should emerge on the 75th anniversary of Independence in 2022 from the joint strength of all”, he said.

The Lt Governor observed that the mega celebrations should hold the spirit of freedom movement, express gratitude to the deceased, and reflect the glory of Sanatan Bharat and Modern India, while displaying the spirituality of mystics and contribution of our scientists.

Terming March 12 as a major milestone in India’s freedom struggle, he observed that the day is of great significance as it captures Mahatma Gandhi’s another non-violent feat to achieve freedom through Dandi March from Sabarmati Ashram in 1930.

“Today my desire is fulfilled. I visited the holy birthplace of Brigadier Rajinder Singh, who is an epitome of unmatched valour and sacrifice. From his birth place, I extend my greetings to the people of Jammu and Kashmir on the launch of Azaadi Ka Amrut Mohatsav”, said the Lt Governor.

He saluted the courage displayed by him and his soldiers while safeguarding the territorial integrity of Jammu and Kashmir.

“I have read the stories of Brigadier Rajinder Singh many times and have lived through the tales of his soldiers’ gallantry at Uri in October 1947,” he said.

The Lt Governor asked J&K Academy of Art, Culture & Languages and Information Department to collect details of the unsung heroes so that their valour could be highlighted during the grand festival.

Apart from this, inspiring stories of great personalities and women of J&K who led by example and contributed in different fields of society, need to be shared, he said.

The Lt Governor said that the  contribution of every class and section of the society must reach to the people through public participation programs under five pillars of this national festival that are Freedom Struggle, Ideas at 75, Achievement at 75, Actions at 75 and Resolve at 75,  envisioned by Prime Minister .

Speaking on the present development scenario of Jammu and Kashmir, the Lt Governor observed that the last 2 years have seen an increased pace of development. “Roads are being constructed at three times the earlier speed; efforts are being made to complete the power and water projects pending for years, so that people of the UT get all the basic facilities”.

“Few vested interests hampered the development reaching the doorsteps of the people for decades. The temporary system that had been in place for years, the laws that pushed the people back, was not removed even after decades. Since 05 August 2019, hundreds of such policies have been changed and laws abolished. Now, the poor, the underprivileged, our farmers and the younger generation are being empowered,” maintained the Lt Governor.

Highlighting the people centric measures taken by the Government, he observed that the population living in 973 villages will be connected with paved road for the first time after independence, now the child of a sweeper can become a doctor, and remote villages would see 20-22 hours of electricity in the next three-four years.

The Lt Governor termed the development work being done in a transparent way in every panchayat as a true tribute to Brigadier Rajinder Singh and his soldiers.

The Lt Governor called upon all stakeholders to take a pledge to collectively work on Industry 4.0.

In the next 75 weeks, we have to focus on policy, funding models, focus areas, key drivers, barriers and strategy implementation, so that when the nation celebrates 75th Independence Day next year, we should be fully ready for a radical change in both the economic and social sectors, observed the Lt Governor.

“I would urge the people of J&K, to take an active part in the celebrations in the next 75 weeks along with hoisting the tricolor in their houses, government offices, schools and colleges,” he said.

He also invited suggestions from all to make the “Azaadi ka Amrut Mahotsav” grand and successful.

Earlier, the Lt Governor inspected the Photo Exhibition on India @ 75- celebrating 75 years of India’s Independence and displaying the life story of Brigadier Rajinder Singh.

School students and Artists from J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages presenting cultural performances on patriotic themes marked the beginning of the mega celebrations.

New Delhi:  The National Investigation Agency said on Friday it has recovered proceeds of drug sales to the tune of Rs. 91 lakh in cash in Handwara Narco-militancy case.

An NIA spokesman said the case was initially registered at Handwara police station of Kupwara district of Jammu & Kashmir on June 11, 2020, as during checking of vehicles at Kairo Bridge in the area, accused Abdul Momin Peer’s Hyundai Creata vehicle was intercepted by security forces and during search Rs. 20 lakh along with 2 kg of heroin was recovered.

Later NIA took up the case by re-registering an FIR on June 23, 2020, and began investigation, he said.

“NIA had arrested five accused persons from Srinagar and Jammu on March 1, 2021, and had taken them on remand for 15 days. Based upon examination and disclosure of arrested accused persons, the agency sleuths conducted searches and recovered proceeds of narcotics smuggling to the tune of 91 Lakhs,” the spokesman said  while adding that the amount was found concealed in a field in village Gurwal of Samba district of the Union Territory.

He said investigation revealed that arrested accused Romesh Kumar had received the cash as part of the proceeds of drug sales from narco-smugglers based in Kashmir valley for himself as well as for further channelisation to different militancy.

Srinagar:  Jammu and Kashmir on Friday recorded 73 fresh Covid-19 cases and two more fatalities.

Of the fresh cases, 14 were from the Jammu division and 59 from the Kashmir division.

Srinagar district recorded a maximum of 34 cases followed by 10 in Baramulla district.

While eight districts did not report any fresh coronavirus case, 10 other districts had cases in single digits.

Two more deaths were reported today in Kashmir due to Covid-19.

The death toll due to Covid in J&K has now risen to 1,971.

According to the daily Media Bulletin on novel Corona virus (Covid-19), out of 127436 positive cases, 887 are Active Positive, 124578 have recovered and 1971 have died; 729 in Jammu division and 1242 in Kashmir division.

Among the total 127436 positive cases in J&K, 12603 have been reported as travelers while 114833 as others.

The bulletin said there are 1091 COVID dedicated beds, 962 Isolation beds with 957 vacant beds and 129 ICU beds where 125 beds are vacant in Jammu division while there are 1570 COVID dedicated beds, 1484 Isolation beds where 1427 beds are vacant and 86 ICU beds where 78are vacant beds in Kashmir division. There are a total of 2661 COVID dedicated beds, 2446 Isolation beds with 2384 beds vacant and 215 ICU beds with 203 vacant beds in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

New Delhi:  India on Friday reported 23,285 new COVID-19 cases and 117 deaths in the last 24 hours, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said.

Now, the country’s COVID-19 tally rose to 1,13,08,846, while the death toll stands at 1,58,306.

Total 15,157 people recovered during the last 24 hours, taking the total number of such cases to 1,09,53,303.

So far, 22,49,98,638 tests have been conducted across the country, of which 7,40,345 were done in the last 24 hours, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

India’s total Active Caseload has reached 1,97,237. India’s present active caseload now stands at 1.74 per cent of total Positive Cases, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Some states in the country have been reporting very high number of daily new COVID cases. Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab, Karnataka, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu continue to report a surge in the daily cases. They cumulatively account for 85.6 per cent of the new cases reported in the past 24 hours, the Ministry said.

Maharashtra has reported the highest daily new cases at 14,317 (61.48% of the daily new cases). It is followed by Kerala with 2,133 while Punjab reported 1,305 new cases,it added.

New Delhi: The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET)  will be conducted on August 1, the Ministry of Education’s National Testing Agency (NTA) announced on Friday.

“The NEET (UG), 2021, is going to be conducted by NTA for admission to MBBS, BDS, BAMS, BSMS, BUMS and BHMS courses as per the relevant norms, guidelines and regulations notified by the regulatory bodies concerned.

“The exam will be conducted in 11 languages, including Hindi and English, through pen and paper mode on August 1,” the NTA said in an official notification.

Bulletin containing detailed information regarding the test, syllabus, eligibility criteria for age, reservation, categorisation of seats, examination fee, cities of examination, state code will be available shortly when the submission of the application form for NEET (UG) starts, it added.

On March 11, the National Testing Agency had confirmed that the medical entrance examination for undergraduate courses will be held only once this year.

In view of the pandemic, many students and teachers had demanded an increase in the number of attempts for NEET.

Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Friday inaugurated the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ by flagging off 386 kilometers march from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi in Navsari district.

Earlier in the day, Modi visited the Sabarmati Ashram here to pay floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and signed the visitor’s book.

To commemorate the 75th year of Independence, the government has decided to organise ‘Amrit Mahotsav’ in which events on weekly basis will be held in the next 75 weeks till August 15, 2022.

Modi also took to twitter to urge people to buy local products.

“Buy any local product and post a picture on social media using ‘Vocal For Local’. A Charkha will be installed near Magan Niwas at Sabarmati Ashram. It will rotate full circle with each Tweet related to Aatmanirbharta. This shall also become a catalyst for a people’s movement,” he tweeted.

During the inauguration of the ‘Mahotsav’, Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Union Minister of State for Tourism and Culture (Independent Charge) Prahlad Singh Patel, MP and Gujarat BJP president C.R. Patil, trustees of the ashram Karthikeya Sarabhai, Amrit Modi and Dr. Sudarshan Iyengar were also present.

In the ‘Mahotsav’, various cultural programs were also organised, in which artists across the country gave attractive performances in different languages.

On March 12, 1930, Gandhi traveled to Dandi in South Gujarat to break the salt law of British rule, which was completed on April 6 of the same year.