Tasaduq Hussain
Leh, Nov 5: The Chief Executive Councillor of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh advocate Tashi Gaylson has allocated portfolios to his deputy and other executive councillors.
According to official handout issued from Leh, deputy CEC Tsering Angchuk was assigned the departments of Education, Higher Education, Environment, Arts and Culture, District Motor Garages, FCS&CA, ICDS, Labour Welfare, Parks and Garden, Polytechnics, SAMAGRA, Social Welfare and Youth Services and Sports.
If further states that executive Councillor Tashi Namgyal Yakzee was given the Animal and Sheep Husbandry, Cooperative, MGNREGA, Rural Development Department, Command Area Development, Rural Sanitation and Wildlife.
The portfolios of Employment, Forest, Fisheries, Handicrafts, Handloom, Horticulture, Industries, Minority Affairs, Soil Conservation and Stationery and Printings were assigned to Ghulam Mehdi by CEC.
As per the handout, executive councillor Stanzin Chosphel was allocated the departments of Agriculture, Antiquities and Archives, Information, Information and Technology, ITI and Statistic and Evaluation. (KNO)
CEC Leh allocates portfolios to executive councilors
3 houses, two cowsheds gutted in Gurez
Sajid Raina
Gurez, Nov 5: At least three residential houses and two cowsheds were damaged in a massive blaze that broke out in Budgaam village of Tulail in Gurez area of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district on Thursday evening.
Locals said a massive fire broke out in a double-storey residential house belonging to Ghulam Rasool Lone of Budgaam Tulail and immediately engulfed nearby houses.
They said that the fire tenders failed to reach on time due to the congested roads, resulting in damage to three residential houses and two cowsheds.
However, an official said that a police team along with fire tenders rushed to the spot and doused the flames with the help of locals.
The official said that no loss of life or any injury was reported in the blaze. “The cause of the fire is being ascertained while the police have started investigation into the matter,” the official added.
However, locals urged the administration to compensate the losses to the affected families at the earliest.
Pertinently, last month at least 12 residential houses were completely gutted in a massive blaze in the same village of Gurez valley which left 15 families homeless.
Meanwhile, a cloth shop was also gutted in a separate blaze at Nowpora area of Bandipora town this evening—(KNO)
Div Com for growing apple, paddy on land under poppy, bung cultivation
Precious Kashmir News
Srinagar, Nov 5: Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Pandurang K Pole Thursday called for covering land presently under illegal poppy and bung cultivation for agricultural and horticulture purposes in Kashmir.
Div Com said this, while chairing a meeting of officers to review the preparation for action plan for bung and poppy destruction.
He said instead of bung or poppy, apples and paddy cultivation shall be taken over on the said land.
Pole said that would not only help in tackling the drug abuse but also give fillip to farmer’s economy.
The Div Com stressed on launching massive IEC programme to persuade people using their land for agricultural and horticultural purposes instead of growing illegal plantation.
He said that farmers shall be provided assistance like agricultural input, seeds, fertilizer and necessary gadgets for using the land for growing apple and paddy crops.
The Div Com said that though the awareness programme, people shall be sensitized about the adverse effects of drug abuse on the society and on the economy.
He emphasized on sustained drives shall continue for destruction of the poppy or bung cultivation across Kashmir.
The Div Com directed concerned to prepare and submit a comprehensive budget for the grant of National Fund for Control of Drug Abuse (NFCDA), to combat the cultivation of poppy and bung and menace of drug abuse.
He emphasized on proper treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts, counseling and skill development programmes, building and strengthening of related infrastructure and continuing massive destruction drives against the cultivation.
Among others, the meeting was attended by DC Excise, Conservator Forests Kashmir, JD Agriculture, JD Horticulture, DD Health, DySP Crime, DySP ANTF.
Frequent traffic jams in Chadoora irk commuters
Naveed Ul Haq
Budgam, Nov 5: The commuters in Chadoora town of Central Kashmir’s Budgam district are facing immense hardships due to the frequent traffic jams from the last couple of weeks especially at the peak hours.
The locals complained that the lack of parking lots in the market has led to the frequent traffic mess in the last couple of weeks while the concerned officials are acting as mute spectators with taking no action in this regard.
The local residents said that the commuters park their vehicles on the roadsides, leading to chaos and frequent traffic jams.
Locals said the illegal car parking by the commuters is leaving no space for the movement of pedestrians, thereby resulting in the frequent traffic jams.
They appealed to the concerned authorities to look into the matter and ensure smooth passage to the commuters.
Secretary Municipal Committee Chadoora Wajahat Kesar said recovery van being used to lift the illegally parked vehicles has developed some technical snag and is being repaired.
He added that the vehicle will be repaired within days and would be pressed once again on the roads to lift the vehicles, which will be found parked illegally on the roadsides—(KNO)
Optimism On Economic Recovery
After successive lockdowns, first on account of the August 5 decisions and other forced by covid-19 pandemic, the economic activity had plummeted in Jammu and Kashmir. However, there is some improvement in economic indicators over the past two months or so which suggests that the process of normalisation of economic activities is underway even as it remains far away from being ideal.
One of the indicators, at least for the government, is that the GST collections are showing a positive trend as the total SGST collections stood at Rs. 359.84 cr, and Rs.435.39 cr for the month of August and September respectively.
The government underlined that the continuous increase in GST collections is “clearly indicating a growth in the business activities and the taxable transactions.”
Similarly, the government says that the revenue collections under MST stands at Rs.141.00 cr for the month of October and it is expected to grow at Rs.150cr for the month of November.
However, one must be cautious while interpreting these numbers. For instance, large parts of the high-contact services sector such as airlines, hospitality and tourism continue to lag the industrial sector, and their revival in part depends on the success in containing the covid-19. Talking about tourism, the covid-19 remains a dampener. Tourism contributes about 7% of the GDP of J&K and before it could have shown any revival post 5 August 2019 decisions amid uncertain security environment, covid-19 announced its arrival. Government has a great role and cannot rest on its hands. This is the time when efforts should be made to revive the industry by making it affordable for the sightseers to visit. Lieutenant governor’s recent statement regarding the revival of tourism sector being government’s is topmost priority is welcome and new policies talked about should really help in value creation and profitability for the local businesses.
As far as other sectors, it is good to keep the optimism but it needs to be tempered. For one, part of the recovery in economic activities can be traced to certain factors which are itself dithering. Whether this momentum sustains or the extent beyond the months of harsh winter remains to be seen. Then, there is the possibility of a surge in COVID-19 infections during the season which could heighten risk aversion. This along with continuing income uncertainty could unfavorably impact the growth trajectory going forward and thus caution must be maintained.
Youth await job package, retired officials call shots?
Afaq Bhat
Srinagar, Nov 4: As youth are waiting for the government to announce new posts, reports about retired officials being reemployed are creating a flutter.
An analyst while talking to Precious Kashmir said, “During the past two years not many posts have been advertised and qualified youth have been eagerly waiting for new opportunities to be thrown open for them but it’s not happening.”
It’s in place to mention that recently Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha announced that recruitment process will be expedited in Jammu and Kashmir. The LG stated that a comprehensive employment package has been formulated and the process to employ the youth will commence very soon.
The analyst said, “Despite no new recruitments being made retired officials are being reemployed in various departments and autonomous institutions. It’s strange that reemployment syndrome is continuing even after J&K being turned into a Union Territory.”
An official said, “The issue of reemploying the retired officials has been taken care of to a great extent. There can be a few cases but not many retired people have been reemployed or given extension.”
He said, “If any such complaints do come to fore action is taken immediately. Youth need not worry. The government has already formulated a plan to accommodate them.”
The official said, “The new recruitment policy will be transparent and clear. The candidates who qualify through merit will get the jobs as the era of recommendations has ended. Now, only merit will talk.”
He said, “A few people who are creating a notion that J&K youth will be deprived of the opportunities are creating a misconception to hoodwink the masses.”
An observer said, “One can understand that the new job policy is on anvil but reemploying retired officials has to stop. Young people have to be given a chance. Besides the government institutions the administration needs to keep a watch over the autonomous institutions like universities and corporations where the practice of reemploying old hands has been going on for the past many years.”
He said, “The change we are talking about has to be felt on the ground. Promises which have been made to the people need to be fulfilled. Besides providing jobs more avenues have to be created to engage the youth. Their entrepreneur skills need to be developed to overcome the growing employment in Jammu and Kashmir. Lot needs to be done to put the system back on track.”
Sharma announces 8-phase DDC polls from Nov 28 in J&K
>By polls for Panchayats, 234 ULB seats to be held simultaneously
> Model Code of Conduct comes into force
Precious Kashmir News
Jammu, Nov 4: State Election Commissioner, K K Sharma, on Wednesday announced the maiden elections to elect District Development Council (DDC) in 20 districts of the J&K Union Territory stating that polls will be held in eight phases from November 28.
He also said that Panchayat by elections for the vacant seats of Sarpanchs and Panchs will also be held simultaneously with the DDC Polls.
Addressing a press conference here, the State Election Commissioner, said that first ever elections for the DDCs will be held from November 28, 2020 in 8 phases which will conclude on December 19, 2020. The counting of the votes for DDCs will be held on December 22.
The SEC also informed that the results of Panchayat by elections will be declared on the polling day itself.
The polling hours will be from 7 am to 2 pm for all the eight phases, The SEC added.
The State Election Commissioner further informed that the DDC elections will be held on party basis, whereas Panchayat by-elections will be held on non-political basis. He said that polling for DDC and Panchayat elections will be held through Ballot Boxes, while postal ballots will be available for Covid-19 patients in isolation, senior citizens and physically unwell patients. He also said that electoral rolls used in Sarpanch and Panch elections that have been updated on January 1, 2020, will be used for the DDC polls.
“With the announcement of DDC polls, the model code of conduct has come in force from today onwards. The first formal notification for the first phase of elections will be issued tomorrow,” Sharma said. He said delimitation has been done and 280 constituencies for DDCs have been identified across the J&K UT. “The term of the DDC will be for five years,” the SEC said.
Responding to media queries, the State Election Commissioner said that West Pakistan Refugees (WPRs), who are Indian citizens and are eligible to vote in Parliamentary elections, will also be entitled to exercise their right to franchise.
The State Election Commissioner said that after taking the feedback from various security agencies, a proper security mechanism will remain in place and “all concerns have been taken into consideration.”
The SEC also informed that the expenditure limit for the DDC polls per candidate is Rs 5 lakh, one lakh for Sarpanch seat and Rs 30,000 for Panch seat.
To ensure free, fair and transparent elections, General observers will be deployed who will keep a close watch on every stage of the electoral process. Sharma also informed that sufficient numbers of ballot boxes have been made available for the smooth conduct of elections.
Meanwhile, Chief Electoral Officer, Hirdesh Kumar said that by-polls for 234 vacant seats of ULBs will also be held simultaneously. He said that elections to ULBs will be held through EVM.
All eyes on PAGD
Alliance to discuss matter on Nov 7
Srinagar, Nov 4: With the state election commission (SEC) on Wednesday announcing eight-phased district development council(DDC) elections in Jammu & Kashmir, all eyes are on the strategy to be adopted by the Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration(PAGD)during the polls.
Talking to KNO State secretary of Communist Party of India(Marxist) and convener of PAGD M Y Tarigami said they will discuss the matter in the meeting of PAGD scheduled on November 7 in Jammu.“We have not discussed it as yet. We will hold consultations over the matter in the meeting there (Jammu),” he said.
The PAGD comprises of National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party, Peoples Conference, CPI(M), Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Movement and other small parties.The grand alliance is seeking restoration of the Article 370 and statehood of J&K.
It is worthwhile to mention here that the Centre last month amended Jammu & Kashmir Panchayats Raj Act through an executive order for establishing directly elected district development councils (DDCs).
According to the amendment, every district in J&K will be divided into 14 territorial constituencies to elect members of DDC.
COVID-19: 10 more die, 512 test positive in J&K
Death toll mounts to 1515; total cases at 96700
Nadeem Nadu
Srinagar, Nov 4: Jammu and Kashmir reported 10 more COVID-19 deaths in last 24 hours, while 512 more people tested positive for the virus, officials said on Wednesday.
They said that the fatality count due to COVID-19 in the union territory has mounted to 1515, while the virus has infected 96700 people in the Union Territory till date.
Among the victims who died today, seven belonged to Jammu division and three others to Kashmir, the officials added.
Those who succumbed to the virus in the Valley include one each from Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag.
They said a 60-year-old man from Boniyar Uri in Baramulla district died a week after he was admitted to SKIMS Soura.
A 55-year-old woman from Dirhama Anantnag died at CD hospital. She was admitted on November 2.
The deaths from Jammu region include four residents of the winter capital of the J&K besides one each from Doda, Kathua and Ramban.
With these deaths, the fatality count has reached 1515 in J&K—1004 in Valley and 511 in the Jammu region.
Srinagar district with 367 deaths tops the list followed by Jammu (264), Baramulla (147), Budgam (94), Pulwama (83), Kupwara (73), Anantnag (76), Rajouri (48), Kulgam (48), Bandipora(47), Doda (48), Shopian (35), Ganderbal (34), Udhampur (32), Kathua (32), Samba (25), Poonch (23), Kishtwar(15), Ramban (16), and Reasi (8).
J&K reports 512 new cases, tally at 96700
Meanwhile, thirty-five travelers and four soldiers were among 512 new COVID-19 cases that were reported in Jammu and Kashmir in last 24 hours, taking the total tally to 96700.
Among the cases, 186 were reported from Jammu Division and 326 from Kashmir, officials said.
Giving district wise details, they said, Srinagar reported 135, Budgam 35, Baramulla 67, Pulwama 10, Kupwara 32, Anantnag 2, Bandipora 18, Ganderbal 16, Kulgam 4, Shopian 7, Jammu 98, Rajouri 9, Udhampur 11, Doda 10, Kathua 11, Poonch 3, Samba 6, Kishtwar 18, Ramban 16 and Reasi 4.
A number of these cases were confirmed at CD and SKIMS diagnostic laboratories, they said.
The SKIMS cases include male (34) from Awantipora Pulwama, male (35) from Trajabal, female (55) from Futlipora, female (53) from Chrawni, female (50) from Colony, female (35) from Chrawni, female (32) from Sarband, female (35) from Rehkai, male (60) from Shankerpora, female (45) from Trajabal, male (19) from Nowhar, female (27) from Gogaldara, female (40) from Sugan, male (32) and female (35) from Hashroo Chadoora, male (50) from Co Cmo Office, female (19) from Ari Bagh Nowgam, male (58) and female (90) from Naik Bagh Nowgam, male (30) from Hamza Colony Kanipora, two females (38, 03) from Mazhama, female (16) from Gurwaith, female (35) from Shamasabad Budgam, female (25) from Satrina, two males (19, 19) from Kunmullah Akhal, female (27) from Nizampora, two males (18, 24) from Prang, female (31) from Ganderbal, three males (50, 27, 28) and female (45) from Pandach, female (23) from Saloora, male (28) from Lar, male (13) from Nagbal, male (70) from Wakura Ganderbal, male (33) from Baghi Mehtab, male (45) from Sanatnagar, female (45) from Bemina, male (28) from Qamarwari, female (59) from Soura, two males (65, 21) from Eidgah, male (60) from Malbagh, female (35) and male (42) from Zainakadal, male (30) from Rajbagh, female (63) and male (01) from HMT, male (50) from Eidgah, female (60) and male (65) from Soura, female (28) and male (30) from Shalimar, male (27) from Elahibagh, male (33) from Hawal, male (38) from Jawahar Nagar, female (65) from Soura, male (50) from Lal Bazar, male (62) from Buchpora, male (51) from Elahibagh, female (55) from Kawdara Srinagar, male (70) from NA Poonch and female (50) from Sopore Baramulla.
The CD cases include male (45) from Buhama Kup, male (67) and female (26) from Sonwar, male (35) from Rawalpora, four males (26, 30, 40, 40) from BB Cantt Srg, female (26) from Tengpora, male (83) from Karan Nagar Srg, male (48) from Bemina Srg, female (78) from Hyderpora, male (72) from Rajbagh, male (36) from Eidgah, male (NA) from Natipora, female (75) from Hazratbal Srg, female (72) from Khanyar Srg, female (65) from Khanmoh Srg, three females (11, 38, 64) and male (39) from Lal Bazar, female (61) from Barzulla, male (67) from Qamarwari, male (75) from Lal Bazar, male (40) from Baramulla, male (40) from HMT, two females (28, 68) from Qamarwari, male (40) and female (38) from Chanapora, female (65) from Hyderpora, male (16) from Naik Bagh Srg, male (40) from Lal Bazar, male (48) from Aalikadal Srg, female (26) from Zainakadal, female (50) from Syed Pora Harwan Srg, female (70) from Hawal Srg, male (55) from Amdakadal Srg, NA (60) from Hawal, male (40) from Samboora, female (51) from Tahab, male (50) from Yachgooz, male (NA) from Bemina, two females (21, 37) from Padgampora, male (NA) from Handwara Kup, female (47) from Hyderpora Srg, female (41) from Nishat Srg, male (51) from Illachibagh Srg, male (70) from Beeru Budgam, female (NA) from Sanatnagar Srg, two females (08, 34) from Rainawari, male (NA) from Qamarwari, female (NA) from Khayam, male (NA) from Uri, male (NA) from Banihal, male (71) from Batwara, female (68) from Bandipora.
Moreover, they said, 536 more COVID-19 patients have recovered and were discharged from various hospitals 185 from Jammu Division and 351 from Kashmir. (GNS)
COVID-19: India’s tally surges to 83,13,877
New Delhi, Nov 4: India ‘s COVID-19 contagion tally on Wednesday surged to 83,13,877 after witnessing a spike of 46,254 fresh cases in the past 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry update said.
The active case load on the country has also reduced further by 7,618 , and now the country houses 5,33,787 active cases.
Talking of fatalities due to the pandemic, 514 more lives claimed by the disease since Tuesday pushing the overall death toll till date to 1,23,611.
Meanwhile, since the past one day there were 53,357 cured patients recorded from the COVID 19, taking the total recoveries till date to 76,56.478.
In percentage, the active cases now stand at 6.42 per cent, discharged cases now at 92.09 per cent and the deaths at 1.49 per cent.
