Srinagar: The Srinagar-Leh highway which was closed for 58 days has been reopened on Sunday for vehicular traffic after the snow has been cleared along the Zojila pass, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) said.

Vehicles carrying essential commodities were initially allowed to move towards Leh-Laddakh from the Zojila pass.

According to BRO, snow clearance of Zojila Pass is a big challenge owing to snow accumulation of 30-40 feet, threats of avalanches and inclement weather conditions.

“Due to the ongoing border dispute in Eastern Ladakh, keeping Zojila pass open for an extended period was a strategic requirement. BRO with grit dedication to serve the nation, kept Z-axis trafficable till December 31 last year,” read a statement issued by the organization.

“Snow clearance was resumed again on February 7 and link up with Drass was made on February 15. The pass has been declared opened February 28,” it said.

“In recorded history, this has been the earliest opening of Zojila and also a minimum period of closure of this axis,” the statement further said.

‘New strides in agriculture through use of artificial intelligence, other new-age technologies to be on display’

Srinagar:  Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha who is also the Chancellor of SKUAST-Kashmir, on Sunday inaugurated a 2-day long 6th Technology Exhibition cum Seed Sale Mela on the theme “Shaping the Future Farming for Better Returns” here at Shalimar campus of the University.

The Lt Governor inspected around 200 stalls showcasing a variety of products and technologies developed in the field of Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries, Agro-Forestry, Agri-Engineering, and other related fields.

He also took stock of the stalls displaying and highlighting various farmers’ welfare schemes and programs, besides the exhibition demonstrated by the other stakeholders dealing with agriculture inputs, farm machinery, and organic products installed during the event.

Laying special emphasis on connecting farmers with Agricultural Experts, University Academics, Agripreneurs, and Industry people, the Lt Governor observed that such exhibitions play an important role in offering an exceptional opportunity to farmers to access reliable, updated, and relevant information, thus help in reducing farmers’ risk and uncertainty.

The Lt Governor also planted a Tulip sapling in the campus of the University on the occasion.

During the Mela, stalls were installed by farmers, stakeholders, various Faculties, Divisions, Research stations, and KVKs showcasing different products and technologies developed by SKUAST in the field of agriculture and allied sectors.

Fruit plant seedlings, vegetable seeds, flower seedlings, poultry birds, milk and milk products, livestock feeds, vermicompost, fish, value-added vegetable and fruit products are being put on sale for the visitors.

High-density plantation is the special focus of this year’s event. Besides, the new strides in agriculture through the use of Artificial Intelligence and other new-age technologies were also on display.

Literature on Scientific Agriculture, Horticulture, Sericulture, fish farming, and Livestock farming was also distributed among the visiting farmers and entrepreneurs. A farmer-scientist interaction program was also arranged for the visiting farmers.

Prof. Mushtaq Ahmad, Vice-Chancellor SKUAST-K; Pandurang K. Pole, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir; Vijay Kumar, IGP, Kashmir; Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, besides HoDs of various departments; Agriculture Scientists; faculty members of SKUAST; entrepreneurs; students and scores of farmers were present on the occasion.

Srinagar: The famous Krishna Dhaba owner’s son Akash Mehra, who was shot at and critically wounded by gunmen earlier this month in Srinagar, died in a hospital on Sunday morning.

Akash was critically wounded when he was shot at near his shop at Dalgate Sonawar area on February 17 evening, when a foreign delegation was in the city for assessing ground situation in the Kashmir valley.

The injured, who had received three bullet wounds, was admitted to hospital where he was operated upon by doctors.

However, he succumbed this morning at the hospital. His family members left with the body of Akash for Jammu this morning, sources said.

His last rites were performed at Janipora in Jammu.

Akash was the second non-Kashmiri killed by gunmen this year. Satpal Singh, a goldsmith was shot dead at his shop at Sarai Bala on December 31.

Meanwhile, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir range, on February 19 said that three newly recruited militants involved in the incident were arrested.

The weapon and motorcycle used for the crime have also been seized, he had said.

All the political parties including two former CMs Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti condoled the demise of Akash.

Srinagar:  Jammu and Kashmir Government on Sunday recorded 58 new cases of Covi-19 and one death.

Of the 58 new Covid cases, 11 were reported from Jammu division and 47 from Kashmir division. With the fresh cases, total number of positive cases in Jammu and Kashmir has risen to 126441.

Besides, there was one death due to Covid-19 in Kashmir today.

Moreover, 62 more COVID-19 patients have recovered and discharged from various hospitals including 09 from Jammu Division and 53 from Kashmir Division.

According to the daily Media Bulletin on novel Corona virus (Covid-19), out of 126441 positive cases, 823 are Active Positive, 123661 have recovered and 1957 have died; 725 in Jammu division and 1232 in Kashmir division.

The Bulletin further said that out of 5201665 test results available, 5075224 samples have been tested as negative till February 28.

Till date 1307198 persons have been enlisted for observation which included 33618 persons in home quarantine including facilities operated by government, 823 in isolation and 108210 in home surveillance.

Besides, 1162590 persons have completed their surveillance period.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said “Atmanirbhar Bharat’ is not merely a government-led effort, it is the national spirit of India to make the country self-reliant.

Addressing the 74th edition of his monthly radio broadcast – “Mann Ki Baat’, the Prime Minister announced that in a few days, the Jal Shakti Ministry will launch a campaign “Catch the Rain’ aimed to catch the rain, where it falls, when it falls.

“During this month of `Magh’, Haridwar is hosting Kumbh this year. On March 22, World Water day will be celebrated. To associate `magh’ month with water is that after this month winters end and summers begin,’ he said.

In his 33-minute radio address, Modi touched upon various issues concerning the country — corona virus, water conservation, exam season for students, efforts to make science more popular across India.

“From now on, we will get the rain water harvesting system — already in place — and make it function. We will get villages, ponds cleaned to help increase water harvesting,’ he said.

Reminding the people that water is a collective gift from nature, the Prime Minister said the responsibility of saving water is also collective. “It is correct that just as there is a collective gift, there is a collective accountability too. River, lake, pond or ground water – all of these are for everyone,” he said.

Pointing to an effort underway at Thiruvannamalai, Tamilnadu where local people have been running a campaign for the conservation of their wells, the Prime Minister said that people are rejuvenating public wells in their vicinity that had been lying unused for years.

Making a mention of Babita Rajput’s village Agrotha in Madhya Pradesh in Bundelkhand region where once there was a very large lake which had dried up, Mr Modi said that she mobilized other women of the village itself and built a canal to bring water to the lake. Through this canal, rainwater started flowing directly into the lake and the lake remains filled with water.

The Prime Minister appealed to the people to start a 100 day campaign for the sake of cleaning up water sources around us and conserving rainwater. “With this very thought in mind, in a few days from now, Jal Shakti Abhiyan CATCH THE RAIN is being initiated by the Jal Shakti Ministry. Its credo is ‘CATCH THE RAIN, WHERE IT FALLS, WHEN IT FALLS’. We shall commit ourselves to the task right now…we shall get existing rain water harvesting systems repaired, clean up lakes and ponds in villages, remove impediments in the way of water flowing into water sources; thus we shall be able to conserve rainwater to the maximum, he said.

He also invoked poet-saint Ravidas whose birth anniversary falls on Magh Poornima, to highlight social ills that had pervaded society at that time and drive home the point that people should incessantly strive with their work and asked the youth to learn that in doing so they should not bind themselves to old methods and practices. “Decide and shape your life yourself. Devise your own methods and practices, set your goals yourselves. If your conscience and self confidence is unshakeable, you need not fear anything in the world,” he said.

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Police is carrying out an Internet Protocol Detail Records (IPDR) analysis of arrested PDP youth president Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra, officials said, amid allegations that he was in touch with separatists and militants across the border.

The IPDR helps track details of a call or message generated by a phone device and includes details like the number from which the call was made, destination port, start and end date and time. This technology works with closer proximity in 2G environment.

Senior police officials said the IPDR and call data records of Parra, who was arrested by Criminal Investigation (Kashmir) are being scrutinised.

During the hearing of Parra’s bail plea on Monday, the police had informed the special NIA court in Srinagar that cell phones and other gadgets seized from his residence had been sent to forensic experts.

“During the course of investigation undertaken so far, it has surfaced that the accused (Parra) has been in constant touch with a number of militants,” the court was informed.

Jammu: Two scooty riders were killed and one person was injured when a sleeper bus turned turtle on Sidhra-Kunjwani Bye Pass road in city outskirts here on Sunday.

Sub Divisional Police Officer, East, DySP Bikram Kumar here said that the video coach bus turned turtle and fell on scooty riders.

“Both the riders have died while one of the occupants is injured, the driver is absconding and the helper is detained by the police,” he said.

Including driver, there were only three persons travelling in the bus, said the officer, adding that the injured have been rushed to the hospital.

“We have registered a case and launched manhunt to nab the absconding driver,” he said.

BY: Jahangir Sofi

Srinagar: Secretary Tourism for Government of India, Arvind Singh, who is on a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday said that the domestic tourism is showing signs of revival and most encouraging reports are coming the Jammu and Kashmir itself.

Talking to reporters in the sidelines of Graduation ceremony of 5th Snow Skiing course at Indian Institute of Skiing & Mountaineering, Gulmarg, Arvind said the government is confident that domestic tourism will get back to its original level.

He said domestic tourism is showing signs of revival in country and most encouraging reports are coming from Jammu and Kashmir, especially Gulmarg and Srinagar along with other parts of India.

Arvind said that they are confident that domestic tourism will get back to its original level, once the vaccination programme is fully established and once the intensity of Covid-19 goes down. “And after that we will consider the opening of International tourism.”

Arvind Singh, who is on a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir, visited the Indian Institute of Skiing and Mountaineering on the Graduation ceremony of 5th Snow Skiing course. (KNO)

New Delhi: Union minister for petroleum, natural gas and steel Dharmendra Pradhan said that he has asked his counterparts in petroleum producing countries to increase their oil production so that Indian consumers get relief from soaring fuel prices.

“In April last year, major oil-producing countries decided to cut production as there was a sharp fall in demand due to the Covid-19 pandemic. These countries are producing less fuel to make more profit. While less fuel is still being produced, the demand for fuel has reached the point as it was before pre-Covid situation. Therefore, petrol and diesel prices have increased in the country,” Pradhan told reporters during an interaction in Varanasi on Saturday evening.

“I am in touch with my counterparts of major oil-producing countries and have spoken to them. I have asked them to increase fuel production in order that prices of oil may come down in our country which buys fuel from these countries.”

He said that as the largest oil buyer, India is creating pressure on oil-producing countries like Russia, Qatar and Kuwait among others to increase production. When production will increase, the cost of per barrel buying will come down and subsequently retail fuel price will also fall.

Asked about a timeline by when prices of diesel, petrol and gas will come down, he said that no one can predict that. “But the prices of cooking gas, diesel and petrol may come down by March or April,” he said.

Fuel prices have been on fire this month with oil companies raising petrol and diesel prices 16 times so far. The last upward revision of fuel prices was on Saturday.

On Friday, Pradhan had said fuel prices are likely to drop as winter ends and attributed the rising rates to an increase in demand during the season.

In Varanasi on Saturday, the minister said that all boats that along the Ganga in the city will now run on CNG for which a CNG station has been set up at Khidkiya Ghat.

He also said that his ministry is working to ensure cooking gas connection in every house, in all eastern UP districts from Gorakhpur to Sonbhadra.