Jahangeer Ganaie
Srinagar, Jan 20: A week after 11 out 179 probationers got AGMUT cadre, eight Indian Police Service probationary officers have been allotted AGMUT cadre.
Officials told KNO that these IAS and IPS officers will get chance to serve in Jammu and Kashmir too as officers in J&K will come from the AGMUT cadre now.
The Indian Police Service Probationers who got AGMUT cadre include Sunny Gupta, Angad Mehta, Tikam Singh Verma, Swati Singh, Rehan Khatri, Manjeet Singh, Shivam Siddarth and Anurag Dwivedi.
One among the eight probationers, Sunny Gupta belongs to Jammu division of the Union Territory.
Pertinently, the Jammu and Kashmir cadre of IPS, IAS and Indian Forest Service (IFoS) was merged with the AGMUT cadre on 7 January this year and its officers will now be posted by the central government.
Moreover, the officers of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir cadre can be posted to Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and any union territory.

Precious Kashmir News
Jammu, Jan 20: Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh on behalf of Jammu and Kashmir Police Wednesday expressed gratitude to the Government of Jammu and Kashmir for sanctioning Special Operation Group (SOG) and Bomb Disposal Squads (BDS) as a classified category of Jammu Kashmir Police.
In a statement Jammu and Kashmir Police chief also thanked JK administration for clearing promotion of IGsP, DIsG and other IPS officers of Jammu Kashmir Police.
Singh thanked the Lieutenant Governor Jammu & Kashmir Manoj Sinha, Chief Secretary J&K B. V. R. Subrahmanyam, Home secretary Shaleen Kabra and said the sanction would give a formal structure to elite wings of Jammu and Kashmir Police and enable drawl of the hardship allowance for specified category of JK Police. He said this will boost the morale of the Jawans and motivate them for better performance in challenging circumstances.
The DGP has also congratulated the IPS officers and their families who have been cleared for the promotion by the Departmental Promotion Committee yesterday. He has wished them all the best and good luck.

He also expressed his gratitude to the Home Minister and Union Home Secretary for their clearance to hold DPC in respect of IPS officers due for promotion as on First of January 2021 in the erstwhile JK cadre.
The Home Department has issued an order with reference to the government order No 72-F of 2019 of 16 January 2019 and government order No Home-878 of 2019 dated 1 August 2019 to this effect. The decision will benefit 2288 officers and Jawans working on the anti-militancy front and 179 Bomb Disposal Squad personnel of Jammu and Kashmir Police.
Meanwhile, the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) which met under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary J&K B. V. R. Subrahmanyam, Advisor to LG Ladakh Umang Narula, Home secretary J&K Shaleen Kabra and DGP J&K Dilbag Singh has cleared the promotion of 1996 batch IPS officers to the rank of ADGP which includes IGP Jammu Zone Mukesh Singh, IGP Crime J&K M. K. Sinha, and IGP Armed Jammu Zone Danesh Rana.
The DPC also cleared three DIsG of 2007 IPS batch DIG Udhampur Reasi Range Sujit Kumar, DIG Jammu Kathua Samba Range Vivek Gupta, DIG North Kashmir Range M. Suleman Choudhary for confirmation as DIsG and DIG Doda Kishtwar Ramban Range Abdul Jabbar for selection grade level 13 (IPS, 2008 Batch) 2017 IPS batch officers Nikhil Borkar, Mohita Sharma, anushree and Anayat Choudhary have been cleared for promotion as SsP in the said DPC.

Ujwal Jalali
New Delhi, Jan 20: More than a year after the abrogation of Article 370, the Kashmiri Pandit community is in dilemma over their ‘early’ return to the valley.
“We wish we were a vote bank to influence the policy decisions of the government on Kashmir that would have led to our return to our homes”, a disheartened community member told UNI as the citizens and original aborigines of Kashmir completed 31 years of pain and mistrust on Tuesday.
The Pandit community hardly finds itself a vote bank to invite the attention of the policy makers to their plight as their populace is scattered in different parts of the country.
Chased out of their homes three decades ago, the Kashmiri Pandits, whose plight sells like hot cakes in the political firmament, observed the trauma of their exodus by holding meetings at various places across the country and highlighted the plight of community members, particularly those living in camps in the aftermath of their displacement.
The KPs accused political parties of ‘exploiting’ their plight, to their favour as every government in power has been since then promising for the safe return and rehabilitation of the community but is yet to deliver it.
The abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019 was considered as a hammer stroke by the government to solve the decades-old Kashmir crisis, however, now after one and a half year of its revocation, the hope seems to have faded away.
“We still have high hopes from Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” a Pandit leader remarked.
A community organisation – Kashmiri Pandits Reconciliation, Return and Rehabilitation – claimed that the government had not done much to mitigate their sufferings.
“The safeguarding of the aborigines is enshrined in the Constitution of our country. Hence, the government must protect the Kashmiri Pandit community by allocating a certain budget towards this, ” KPRRR Chairman Satish Mahaldar said while speaking to UNI at Jantar Mantar, here, where several community members staged protest demanding rehabilitation of the community.
He urged the Centre to formulate a concrete plan and take steps accordingly, for the safe return and rehabilitation of Pandits in Kashmir.
Mahaldar further said that while exercising the delimitation process, the Kashmir pandits migrants name has to be incorporated to restore denied democratic rights.
Later, the Pandit leaders submitted a memorandum listing demands of Relief & Rehabilitation to Prime Minister Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Bhat Imran
Srinagar, Jan 20: Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Bemina got only four ventilators while the hospital had paid for the procurement of 12 ventilators last year, reveals a reply to the Right to Information query.
The official figures state that the SKIMS Bemina had submitted a payment for procuring 12 ventilators; however from March to November 2020, it had received and installed only four.
It has been leant that SKIMS Bemina is yet to receive at least eight ventilators of which payment have been submitted five months back.
As of now, SKIMS Bemina has received and installed two units of MRI compatible ventilators (Transport)—Model: Parapac Plus 310 (Smiths Medical) and two units of portable ventilators—Model: Meditec 1700 manufactured by Meditec England.
This information was revealed by the Materials Manager Officer (MMO) of SKIMS Bemina in a reply to Right to Information (RTI) queries.
Meanwhile, the department also said that a total number of 1469 COVID-19 positive patients were admitted and examined and 75 deaths were recorded from 01-03-2020 to 30-11-2020.
SKIMS officials also said that it resumed OPD services from November-02-2020 and in month 1182 OPD patients were seen—(KNO)

LG pays obeisance at Gurudwara Sahib, Chand Nagar

Srinagar, Jan 20: The birth anniversary of one of the pioneers of Sikhism Guru Gobind Singhji was on Wednesday celebrated with religious fervour in Jammu and Kashmir.
Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, his advisors and leaders of different political parties, greeted people, particularly Sikh community, on the occasion.
Despite below freezing temperature, members of the Sikh community visited Gurdwaras and other religious places to join the special prayers on the occasion.
However, the main function could not be held at Gurdawara Chetipadshahi Rainawari in the downtown Srinagar where some renovation work was going on for the past some months.
Because of renovation in the interior parts of the Gurdwara no function was held there today, Chairman of All Party Sikh Coordination Committee (APSCC) Jagmohan Singh Rain said.
He said now the main function was held in Gurdwara Baghat Barzulla in the uptown Srinagar.
Despite minus 6 degree minimum temperature, members of the Sikh community, including women and children prayed at Gurdwara at Barzullah and other places, including Jawahar Nagar and Mehjoor Nagar.
Guru Gobind Singh birth anniversary celebrations were held across Jammu and Kashmir.
Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha today paid obeisance at Gurudwara Sahib, Chand Nagar and prayed for sustained peace, prosperity and happiness for all.
Addressing the gathering, he observed that Guru Gobind’s principles based on the ethos of social equality, universal brotherhood, selfless service, peace and righteousness, have strong relevance in the contemporary times.
He urged people to cultivate the spirit of dedication, kindness and valour epitomized by the great Guru to create a harmonious society.
Speaking on the communal bond and harmony in J&K, the Lt Governor also hailed the contribution of all religions in making J&K a prosperous UT. He also acknowledged the contribution of Sikh community towards public welfare, social service, nation building and economy of J&K.
The Government of J&K is making dedicated efforts and is working on creating an institutional mechanism for encouraging and promoting the Punjabi language in the UT, said the Lt Governor.

Order issued in public interest: MD
Jahangir Sofi
Srinagar, Jan 20: The Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL) has barred all the employees of PDD from applying for leaves during winters while extreme medical emergency cases have been exempted.
An issued by KPDCL reads, “No leave of any kind shall be granted in winter spell in favour of the officers/Officials of the DISCOM.”
While expressing the worry and anxiety over the order JK Employees Electrical Union (J&KEEU) President Abdul Rashid said the order is very harsh.
“How is it possible for a lower rung employee of PDD who is posted in far flung area to come to Corporate office to get emergency leave sanctioned on health grounds,” he questioned.
The circular issued by KPDCL, a copy of which lies with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) reads, “It is impressed upon all the officers/ officers to maintain their headquarters. Besides, leave of any kind if granted by any controlling officer stands canceled with immediate effect. Further all the controlling officers are hereby directed not to grant sanction leave of any kind to any officer/ official henceforth.”
The order further reads that the permission in rarest of the rare circumstances on medical grounds shall be granted by the corporate office only.
“Any deviation of circular instructions shall be viewed seriously and defaulting officer shall be liable for disciplinary action under relevant conduct Rules”, reads the circular.
Managing Director KPDCL Mohammad Ajaz said the order is issued in the interest of public. “Our priority is to give uninterrupted power supply to the valley and for that if we have to postpone our engagements there should be problem in doing that.”
“However the leaves for extreme medical emergencies will have to be sanctioned by corporate office only”, he further said. Meanwhile, the Employees Union President appealed the MD KPDCL to re-consider his decision in the interest of those employees—(KNO)

Tasaduq Hussain
Leh, Jan 20: The first positive case of a new UK strain in the union territory of Ladakh will undergo a retest next week as per the set protocol and guidelines for the new variant virus.
The Ladakh region reported the first case of new strain on January 14 and had earlier tested positive for novel coronavirus last year on arrival from outside the UT.
Health officials said the 38-year-old individual with a travel history of Germany tested positive for the new variant of SARS-CoV-2 will undergo the first retest next week. “The test is expected to be conducted on Monday most probably”, the official said.
“As per the protocol for new variant strain, the individual is supposed to undergo a retest after 10 days and he tested positive on January 14”, the health official said requesting anonymity.
He said that the individual will be retested on Monday since the ten days complete on this week’s Sunday.
He also said that the patient is asymptomatic and there is nothing to worry about and the general public must be at ease.
On December 26, the individual was tested for novel coronavirus for which he tested positive on 28 December last year, and samples for the variant virus were taken given the foreign travel history the report of which was received on January 14.
The health officials then had said all the necessary precautions measures have been taken and set protocol is being followed and the individual has been moved to an isolation facility of SNM hospital—(KNO)