Precious Kashmir

Anganwadi workers protest in Srinagar, demand release of pending wages

City

19/02/2021

Srinagar: Anganwadi workers on Thursday protested in the summer capital, Srinagar, demanding release of pending wages and regularization of their services.

Scores of Anganwadi workers assembled at Press Enclave in Srinagar on Thursday and demanded that their wages, which are pending from last over one-and-a-half year, be released immediately.

Raising slogans, the workers also demanded regularization of their services. “We have not been paid salaries from over last 16 months. Despite low wages, only centre share of our salaries are paid once in a while. State share of our wages have not been paid since 2018,” Anganwadi and Helpers Association Tasleema told UNI.

She said that the Anganwadi workers were promised a payment of Rs 500 per day per person for COVID-19 survey in 2019. But, she said it was not paid.

Similarly, she said wages for leprosy duty was also not paid. “Wages were also not paid for the election duty which was promised by the administration,” she said.

The protestors said that they have been promised regularization many times in the past, but so far no initiative has been taken by successive government in this regards. “On top of this, we have not received our wages from last over eight months. How are we supposed to take care of our families,” they said.

The protestors demanded that their wages be released at the earliest so that they can cater to the need of their families. “We will intensify our protest if our demands were not fulfilled,” they added.

UNI ABS

Don’t think statehood to JK will be restored till BJP Govt is there: Mir

Jammu & Kashmir

Precious Kashmir

19/02/2021

BY: Sheikh Danish

Srinagar: J&K Pradesh Congress Committee chief Ghulam Ahmed Mir Thursday lashed out at the BJP led government at the Centre including Union Home Minister Amit Shah for issuing ambiguous statement over restoration of statehood to J&K, stating he was of the belief that “no statehood will be restored till BJP regime is there.”

“I have keenly heard the statement of Amit Shah in the Parliament. He stated that have some patients, statehood to be restored at an appropriate time. What does that mean? That statement is totally ambiguous,” Mir told reporters.

“I don’t think statehood will be restored to J&K till BJP government is at the Centre, let alone article 370 and 35 A.”

Mir slammed Centre for skyrocketing prices of petrol and diesel, stating that “if rates are around 54 dollars per barrel, petrol per liter should have been at the rate of Rs 60 in J&K, but here petrol per liter is at Rs 90, which is injustice with the people. The Government of India wants to push people of J&K economically backward further,” he said.

On the visiting European Delegation, the PCC chief said it was a “stage managed show” organized by the Centre.

“The EU members didn’t meet any designated member from Congress and National Conference as projected by the media. They met those who speak BJP language and praise BJP,” he said, adding that “why EU delegations aren’t set to rape capital of India which is Uttar Pradesh, why Kashmir only. Why PM Narendera Modi is led government itself internationalizing Kashmir issue by sending foreign envoys to Kashmir.” (KNO)

DGP sanctions special reward for wards of cops for qualifying competitive exams

Jammu & Kashmir

Precious Kashmir

19/02/2021

Jammu: The Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh Thursday sanctioned Rupees 1.30 lakh as special reward in favour of wards of serving Police personnel for qualifying different Competitive Examination during the year 2020.

The DGP’s Special Reward of rupees ten thousand each with Class-I Certificate has been sanctioned in favour of Varun Sharma, Anees Fayaz, Saibha Imtiyaz, Duhaa Mushtaq, Jagjeet Singh, Shohib Afzal, Tahir Shabir, Amir Shabir, Aalim Shafi Tantray, Sheikh Mudhat Ul Feroz, Khazein Javid, Iqra Jan and Atul Kumar for qualifying different competitive Examinations during the year 2020. The amount has been sanctioned out of the Central Police Welfare Fund.

Police Headquarters is running many welfare schemes to boost the morale of wards of martyrs, deceased and serving Police personnel as well as wards of SPOs by sanctioning meritorious scholarships, scholarships and special rewards.

Army appeals local militants to shun violence, assures support

Jammu & Kashmir

United News Of India

19/02/2021

Srinagar: Reiterating its appeal to the local militants to shun the path of violence, the Army has assured full support to youth, who want to surrender and once again join the mainstream.

The appeal was made by the Chinar Corps on its official twitter handle along with a video in which parents of three militants urged their children to return home and lead a normal life. An Army official could also be heard, assuring the parents that every possible support will be provided by the forces if their children want to surrender.

In the video, family members of militant Abid Ramzan Sheikh could be seen urging him to return home. Sheikh, a resident of south Kashmir district of Shopian, had joined militant ranks on February 19, 2018. “Please return home and restart a new life. We don’t know where you are, but we urge you to come back,” family members of Sheikh said in the video.

An Army officer could be heard assuring parents of 19-year-old militant Arjumad Gulzar Dar that if their son surrenders all possible support will be extended to him. “If you can contact your son tell him that all possible support will be provided to him if he surrenders,” the officers could be heard saying in the video. Dar, a resident of south Kashmir district of Pulwama, had joined militant ranks on January 31, 2018.

Similar appeals were made by parents of 20-year-old Yasir Ahmad Parray, who joined militant ranks in June 20, 2019.

PM for special visas to Asian medicos during health emergencies

National

United News Of India

19/02/2021

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday advised creating a special visa scheme for doctors and nurses for quick travel during health emergencies, while addressing an online workshop on COVID-19 management, where Pakistan and other neighbouring countries participated.

The Prime Minister suggested creating a special visa scheme for medicos on the request of the receiving country and asked whether Civil Aviation ministries can coordinate a regional Air Ambulance agreement for medical contingencies.

Mr Modi also recommended creation of a regional platform for collating, compiling and studying data about the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines among populations

The workshop – Covid-19 Management: Experience, Good Practices and Way Forward – was attended by health leaders, experts and officials of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles and Sri Lanka.

Mr Modi lauded the way the health systems of the countries cooperated during the pandemic and met the challenge in the most densely populated region with coordinated response, an official statement said here.

‘This spirit of collaboration is a valuable take-away from this pandemic.Through our openness and determination, we have managed to achieve one of the lowest fatality rates in the world. This deserves to be applauded.

‘Today, the hopes of our region and the world are focused on rapid deployment of vaccines. In this too, we must maintain the same cooperative and collaborative spirit,’ added the Prime Minister.

He suggested that from India, Ayushman Bharat and Jan Arogya schemes may be useful case-studies for the region.

‘If the 21st Century is to be the Asian Century, it cannot be without greater integration among the countries of South Asia and the Indian Ocean island countries. The spirit of regional solidarity that you have shown during the pandemic has proven that such integration is possible,’ Mr Modi said.

Mutton Disappears

Edit

Precious Kashmir

18/02/2021

In November last year, the administration fixed the retail price of mutton at Rs 480 per kilogram. While the price is Rs 40 higher than the previously fixed rate in 2016, it’s about Rs 120 less than what the dealers were selling the highly sought after commodity in Kashmir with a consumption of around 1,000 lakh kg/year.

The government’s new rate is technically applicable till the end of this year, December 2021. Thereafter, there would be an automatic price revision of rates as per the wholesale price index of the time.

The mutton dealers were selling it around Rs 500 but with the advent of covid-19 and shutdown forced by it, the prices went up and the dealers would sell it at Rs 550 and then at Rs 600. A forum claiming to be representing the dealers says that Rs 600/kg is rational given the rates outside the J&K.

A ‘fact-finding committee’ formed to examine the mutton rates across India has lent support to the claims by the dealers, saying that retail dealers in Kashmir procure “grade-A” quality at Rs 518 per kilogram. Emphasis is on “grade-A”. The administration has so far stuck to the rates and considers the dealers as violators. The government has warned them against overcharging. The consumers are certainly caught in the tussle of sorts and most people have no way to enforce what has been fixed even as they want mutton prices far lesser than what they are made to pay. There is no doubt that people would in all situations want the prices to come down given the fact that the lesser the prices better the deal. The government while fixing the price stated that representatives of the dealers were consulted. Besides, the technical team of the Sheep Husbandry department presented a “realistic scenario” of the production cost of the mutton industry as regards how much the retail rate should be even after ensuring the dealers get their due profit. After taking all these aspects into consideration, the new retail rate of mutton was fixed, the government maintains. With three months into new rates fixed by the administration, the commodity has become rare and beyond reach. It has vanished from the markets. The government needs to workout issues and ensure that the commodity is available to the people. The Issues should be resolved amicably and if there is room to revisit the rates, the government should do it while ensuring rationality.

‘Provide transport to children, facilitate their return to schools’

Anchor stories

Afaq Bhat

18/02/2021

‘Provide transport to children, facilitate their return to schools’

Srinagar: Private schools are once again in the news for wrong reasons. This time they have withdrawn the transport facilities for the children.
Parents have been asked to pick and drop their children on their own. “We have been paying the tuition fee regularly for the past 2-years despite schools remaining closed. Now, as the time is coming near for schools to get reopened, the managements of these institutions have started dictating terms. It appears that they want parents to pay the transportation fee for the period during which schools remained closed,” said a parent.
He said, “It’s sheer blackmailing. How is it possible for parents to pick and drop their children as most of them remain busy with their work.”
On Tuesday the Divisional Administration Kashmir had directed the school authorities to run their transport services for students normally and asked them not to issue any controversial statement.
It’s in place to mention here that during the COVID times when the schools and other educational institutions were closed indefinitely the private schools were asked to collect tuition fee only. In many states and union territories the tuition fee was slashed but in J&K the private schools didn’t give any concession in the tuition fee.
Another parent said, “Children are desperate to return to the schools but the recent diktat of the managements of private schools is making parents think what to do. Many schools charged the transport fee for many months after the outbreak of the COVID-19. The transport fee was waived off only after the parents brought this issue into the notice of the administration.”
He said, “The schools are bound to provide transport facilities to the children; they can’t just say that they have grounded their buses. This is not acceptable. The schools which defy the directions of the administration should be pulled up for putting the parents in trouble. By providing transport facilities they are not doing any favour. It’s not any complimentary service. We pay for it.”
Pertinently, the schools in Kashmir are set to reopen in the first week of March nearly after more than one and a half year. These institutions were closed on August 5, 2019, when the Centre revoked J&K’s special status and bifurcated it into two union territories. Educational institutions opened for a few days in March last year but were shut again due to an outbreak of the pandemic.
“Students have suffered immensely during the past two years and schools should facilitate their return to classrooms rather than making things difficult for them,” said a teacher.

Is this normal Kashmir, ask envoys

Front

Javaid Malik

18/02/2021

Srinagar: Foreign envoys from the European Union who arrived on 2-day J&K visit on Wednesday said that they are here to assess the ground situation after the abrogation of Article 370.
The envoys in an interaction with the media persons here posed volley of questions to the scribes and sought feedback from them. One of the envoys asked the media men, “Is this normal Kashmir?” “If it’s so then has the ground situation changed?
One of the senior editor’s of a local daily replied, “It has been just one and a half year since the J&K’s special status has been revoked and it’s too early to declare Kashmir as normal.”
Another envoy asked about the progress that J&K has witnessed during the past one year. “Tell us about the progress?” he asked.
“Has the business improved? Has the security scenario changed?”
The scribes informed them about “the difficulties which the businessmen faced due to internet blockade and then the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. “In the end of 2020 many tourists visited Kashmir to celebrate New Year and Christmas. On that front there was an improvement,” the scribes said.
The envoys asked questions about the newly introduced domicile law in Jammu and Kashmir. “Are people happy with the new law or they want some changes?” they asked.
The envoys sought the feedback over industrial development in J&K “Are the investors coming forward?” they asked.
The envoys said that after seeking feedback from the people they meet they prepare “confidential reports” that cannot be discussed with the media and their visits are with a purpose.
One of the envoys asked the scribes about the freedom of the press in Jammu and Kashmir. “Do you people work freely?”
One of the senior editors of a local daily while replying to the envoy’s query said, “In an area which is conflict ridden things become difficult at times. After the abrogation of Article 370, internet was snapped and we were unable to gather the news and report it. People had started doubting our credibility. But we were helpless as in the era of digital age. We worked on 2G internet for long time. The 4G was restored just a few days ago. As such we have not faced any intimidation. But officials being inaccessible make things tough for us.”
When envoys were asked about how they feel about the situation, they remained tightlipped and said, “It’s too early to comment. In one day we cannot come to a conclusion.”
The scribes informed them about J&K’s history and stressed on the need for restoring the statehood. They also told the envoys that J&K has a huge area and it cannot function as a union territory for a longtime.
The envoys had come from Chile, Brazil, Cuba, Bolivia, Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, EU, Belgium, Spain, Sweden, Italy, Bangladesh, Malawi, Eritrea, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Senegal, Malaysia, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan
The visit is the third official one by foreign diplomats of to Jammu and Kashmir since the government’s decision to abrogate Article 370 and divide the State into two Union Territories (Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh) on August 5, 2019.

Envoys visit Dargah Hazratbal shrine, meet delegations at SKICC

Front

Precious Kashmir

18/02/2021

BY: Jahangir Sofi/Owais Gul

Srinagar: A high level delegation of 22 foreign envoys from different countries arrived here on a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir to assess the development work and the security situation in the Union Territory following the successful conduct of maiden District Development Council (DDC) polls.
The delegation comprised envoys from different countries, that include Chile, Brazil, Cuba, Bolivia, Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, Belgium, Spain, Sweden, Italy, Bangladesh, Malawi, Eritrea, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Senegal, Malaysia, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

Soon after landing at Srinagar Airport, the delegation was accorded a traditional welcome with girls singing traditional Kashmiri songs—Wanwun amid showering of flower petals.

After coming out of the Srinagar Airport, they straightly drove towards Magam area of Central Kashmir’s Budgam district where it met the recently elected District Development Council (DDC) members from the district including the Chairperson Nazir Ahmad Khan.

Khan after meeting the delegation said that they discussed the issue of development with them and projected some developmental works before them.

Later, the delegation moved to Srinagar’s Lalit-Grand Palace where they had lunch. The delegation later visited Dargah Hazratbal shrine. The delegation entered into the premises of the shrine as well and later posed for a photograph outside the shrine.

The delegation later reached Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) where they met a number of delegations including artisans, sports men and others.

When contacted, the people who met the delegation said they only discussed the issues confronting them in the particular field they are affiliated with.

The sports persons when connected said that they highlighted the enthusiasm among the youth about sports and discussed the issues confronting them.

Similarly, artisans while divulging the details of the meeting stated that although they were not English speaking but a government employee assisted them, saying that they discussed the issues about handicraft and other relevant.

Pertinently, this is the third delegation visiting the Valley to assess the ground situation in the region after the central government abrogated the special status of erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the State into two Union Territories including Jammu and Kashmir & Ladakh.

The delegation will fly to the winter capital of the Union territory on Thursday where they would likely meet the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, civil society members and others—(KNO)

Meet DDC members in Budgam

Front

Naveed Ul Haq

18/02/2021

Budgam: A high level European Union delegation comprising 22 envoys from foreign countries, who landed in Srinagar Wednesday, were welcomed traditionally at Magam in central Kashmir’s Budgam district, where they met newly elected District Development Council (DDC) chairman and other members.

According to KNO the delegation visited Magam, where they were welcomed by the District Development Council (DDC) Chairman, Nazir Ahmad Khan and other panchayat representatives.

Khan, briefed the envoys about developmental agenda for Budgam district. Later, taking to media men, Khan said that the main motive of the meeting of DDC members was to take the different development issues with them.

“We talked to them about Panchayati Raj. We told them what we have and what more is needed. The entire district should be on the path of development. This is what we told them,” he said. “Since district Budgam is a backward district, we pressed for fast track development and urged them to persuade centre to give special preference to Budgam district.”

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