Precious Kashmir News
Srinagar, Oct 2: ‘The occasion of 151st Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, also celebrated as the International Day of Non-Violence is an opportunity for the people of India to reflect upon his commitment to the principle of non-violence and I urge the misguided youth to shun violence and return to the mainstream. The government is ready to help all with jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities’ said Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha while launching the J&K Government’s ambitious- Back to Village-3 programme from Shirmal, Shopian in south Kashmir.
The Lt Governor, Manoj Sinha added that the people of J&K, especially the youth wants to tread the path of progress & development and the government is committed to making J&K a role model of development and prosperity. ‘We will empower youth and strengthen PRI’s’, Lt Governor maintained.
On the occasion, the Lt Governor inaugurated Youth Recreation Centre and Gujjar & Bakerwal Hostel Library at Shirmal. He also laid the foundation stone of 100 bedded Girls’ Hostel costing Rs 306.34 lakhs and handed-over various certificates and sanction letters to beneficiaries under different departmental schemes. He met various public delegations and sought their feedback and views on B2V3 and aspirations of people from different local public representatives.
Sports kits to young sports persons and other assistance to facilitate sports activities, besides 03 hearing machines and one wheel-chair were distributed among the beneficiaries. He also distributed 81 Baby Kits among 81 beneficiaries of 27 Panchayat Halqas and 57 School Bags were distributed among 57 School Dropout girls of 27 Panchayat Halqas, who have been motivated to resume their studies.
While addressing the gathering, the Lieutenant Governor remembered the bond that Mahatma Gandhi shared with villages and said that Back to Village 3 is a tribute to his bond and aspirations with respect to villages. Village development will add to the nation’s development, he said.
The Lt Governor termed villages as the lifeline of India and stressed on the need for their development. ‘Just as striking two rocks produces fire and helps produce light, similarly people’s participation shall help bring about drastic changes in our villages’, said the Lt Governor.
Speaking on Back to Village-3, which starts from today, the Lt Governor called it a bridge between the public and the administration. Sharing his dream of making villages equally developed as the cities, he said that the government is persistently delivering services and helping them join the mainstream. ‘Efforts are being made to make villages Atmanirbhar’, he added.
Reiterating the government’s commitment for overall development of villages, the Lt Governor said that nobody would need to leave one’s village to seek education or livelihood in the near future. He said that the action-based execution of administrative changes being brought in Jammu & Kashmir would not only pave way for unprecedented development in J&K but also show a new path of development to the entire nation.
Speaking on earlier phases of the Back to Village programme, the Lt Governor said that their implementation and results have been reviewed and appropriate changes have been incorporated in B2V3 for better ground results. He said that every panchayat of the UT has taken up a couple of works projected during B2V1 and B2V2.
On ‘Apple Town’ Shopian, the Lt Governor said that officials have been directed to focus on the local apple production and processing with special attention on building storage capacity and other allied activities.
“I have been personally witnessing equitable change at village as well as sub-division level during my last 12 districts tours, and have conducted review meetings to gear up slow paced incomplete works. After inspecting ground implementation of governmental initiatives, directions have been passed with respect to all essential services like power, cooking gas and ration etc. Raj Bhavan helicopter has also been delegated for emergency cases, if needed. People’s cooperation is vital for development, peace and prosperity in the region’, the Lt Governor maintained.
The Lt Governor also called upon the youth to take advantage of a new wave of educational and business reforms being incorporated by the J&K administration. He informed that two candidates from every panchayat are to be identified and assisted by the Special Desk of Jammu & Kashmir Bank. With sufficient handholding, 8500 of such youth would be turned into entrepreneurs. Similarly, sports kits are also being provided to every panchayat under B2V3, informed the Lt Governor.
A robust Industrial policy is in offing, which will be among one of the best in the country and will prove to be a new model of development, besides providing immense opportunity to youth with special focus on girl empowerment, the Lt Governor continued.
He also urged to maintain highest sanitation standards and to install at least two dustbins in every Panchayat for solid and liquid waste management.
Counting achievements under the ongoing activities, the Lt Governor highlighted that during the past two Block Diwas, impressive results have been achieved. Around one lakh students have been provided scholarships, more than 25,000 beneficiaries have been provided pensions under Integrated Social Security Scheme, more than 17,000 Kisan Credit Cards delivered, around 4600 beneficiaries, which include widows, senior citizens and specially-abled persons, added under National Social Assistance Scheme and 14,000 works started under 14th FC and MNREGA.
In these two days, more than 1.5 lakh people participated, 1.43 lakh provided various certificates, revenue papers issued to more than 15 thousand, around 22,000 Ration Cards seeded with Aadhar, more than 8,000 families provided benefits of Ayushman Bharat and around 4,000 Universal Health Cards were issued. During Awami Muhim, 11,000 grievances, out of 24,000 received, were resolved on spot. Similar results would be achieved in the future due to the government’s doorstep delivery of governance.

There is no dearth of funds as Rs 2.5 crore has already been issued to districts in addition to Rs 10 lakh per panchayat. Total 54 schemes of the government are giving direction to progress, and prosperity of J&K. Special focus is being laid on 100% saturation of all social security and beneficiary oriented schemes.
The UT Government will not just make announcements, but would genuinely and rationally try to address the problems being faced by the people.
In a major step towards the overall welfare of residents of J&K and facilitating affordable healthcare facilities, the UT Government has recently announced the Jammu and Kashmir Health Scheme in order to provide universal health Insurance coverage to all the residents of the Union Territory.
In the coming days, said the Lt Governor, attention is to be given to Animal Husbandry and Sheep Husbandry which shall help generate around 50 thousand self-employments. Other areas of focus shall be Dairy, Poultry, Fisheries, Agriculture and allied sectors, he said.
Efforts are on to introduce micro-irrigation in J&K. Economic clusters are going to be made to promote village industries. Similarly, local Self-Help Groups, playgrounds and redundant government buildings are also going to be put to use. It shall be my endeavour to rejuvenate the lagging sectors and underdeveloped sections of the society.

‘On my list, completion of languishing projects, road connectivity, delivery of basic amenities is at the top priority. On spot delivery is starting to become a new normal in the UT’, said the Lt Governor. He asked the Panchayat people to own B2V programme and appeal to the people to come forward and participate in large numbers to make B2V3 a grand success.
The Lt Governor asked all stakeholders and the public to observe social distancing and other preventive measures against COVID-19 while participating in the Back to Village 3. He sought their cooperation in bringing education, health and livelihood opportunities to earlier relegated sections of the society. He also called upon the public to interact and give thorough feedback to visiting officers during B2V3.
The Lt Governor assured the public that Back to Village 3 is not a one-time event, but a part of regular grievance redressal mechanism under which senior officers are to address grievances at subdivision level every Wednesday on rotational basis. He also called upon the government officials and functionaries to generate awareness about all these initiatives of the government.
Small initiatives can bring immense change. We should all take a pledge to realize the dream of Mahatma Gandhi of village development. Welfare and prosperity of common mass, especially the youth is the top priority of the J&K Government, the Lt Governor maintained.
He stressed on better road connectivity of all major roads with special focus on connectivity of Regional Head Quarters to District Head Quarters. Instructions have been passed for replacing damaged Transformers within 24 hours. He announced that winter preparedness stock will be ready by October 15. Playground in every panchayat will be established to motive the youth to indulge in sports activities. Genuine demands and grievances shall be addressed on merit, he continued.
For the welfare of the rural population, works are being done in Panchayats and many more would be done in the coming days that will open the window of employment opportunities and education avenues for the people. The results of the Government’s efforts to give a fillip to the socio-economic conditions of the rural J&K will soon be visible on the ground, the Lt Governor said.
Rohit Kansal, Principal Secretary, Power Development Department and Information Department; Sh. Pandurang K. Pole Divisional Commissioner Kashmir; Sh. Vijay Kumar, IG Kashmir; Sh. Choudhary Mohammad Yasin, Deputy Commissioner, Shopian and other senior officers were present on the occasion.

New Delhi, Oct 2: India recorded a fresh spike of 81,484 nCoV cases during the past 24 hours, taking the country’s tally to 64,94,069, the Union Health Ministry data said on Friday morning.
Also, the peninsular registered 78,877 cured and discharged cases in the same duration which has pushed the total recoveries to 53,52,078.
Meanwhile, there were 1,095 deaths due to the highly contagious virus since Thursday pushing the death toll to 99,773 till date.
Active case-load on the country witnessed an increase by 1512 cases since yesterday, and presently India is home to 9,42,217 active cases of Novel Coronavirus.
In terms of percentage, the active cases are 14.74 per cent, recovered at 83.70 per cent, and the deaths 1.56 per cent.
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), as many as 10,97,947 samples were tested in the past 24 hours, taking the total cumulative samples tested since the beginning of the pandemic till Thursday to 7,67,17,728.
Maharashtra continues to remain the worst affected state with maximum case count as well as in terms of maximum active cases.
Globally, the United States continues to remain the most-infected, followed by India and Brazil.

Washington: President Donald Trump and his wife Melania have contracted the coronavirus, he announced early Friday, after months in which he has played down a pandemic that has killed more than 205,000 Americans and sickened millions more.
Trump, 74, was diagnosed hours after it became publicly known that Hope Hicks, a top Trump aide who traveled with him on Air Force One and Marine One this week, tested positive on Thursday morning.
“Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19,” the president tweeted just before 1 a.m. “We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!”
The president’s physician, Sean Conley, wrote later that Trump and his wife “are both well at this time, and they plan to remain at home within the White House during their convalescence.”
An aide who saw Trump late Thursday said he seemed normal and did not show any symptoms, though he was aware of Hicks and her condition. Hicks is showing symptoms, officials said. Aides said all of his political events will be canceled for the foreseeable future.
After White House officials learned of Hicks’ symptoms, Trump and his entourage flew to New Jersey, where he attended a fundraiser and delivered a speech. Trump was in close contact with dozens of other people, including campaign supporters at a roundtable event.
Late Thursday, Trump tweeted that he and the first lady, who traveled with Hicks and the president on Tuesday, were in quarantine.

“Hope Hicks, who has been working so hard without even taking a small break, has just tested positive for Covid 19. Terrible! The First Lady and I are waiting for our test results. In the meantime, we will begin our quarantine process!” he said.
Trump’s early morning announcement was an extraordinary turn for the first family, coming little more than a month before election day and as Trump has escalated his campaign pace in an effort to catch Democratic nominee Joe Biden, who leads in national and key state polls. He trails largely, aides and voters say, due to his handling of the virus, which has dominated voters’ attention along with the economic collapse caused by pandemic shutdowns.
Even as the virus exploded around the nation, Trump has continued to hold large events featuring mostly maskless crowds of people who squeezed together to greet the president. Trump has regularly appeared in public and in private without a mask, and has mocked Biden for wearing one and for curbing his campaign events. Many of Trump’s aides also have eschewed masks, both in the West Wing presidential offices and on trips.
Hicks is among Trump’s closest staffers and regularly enters the Oval Office multiple times a day, meeting with White House and campaign aides.
She has been spotted on multiple occasions without a mask, along with other top aides. She tested positive after showing symptoms at a rally on Wednesday.
Hicks, 31, served as Trump’s 2016 campaign spokeswoman from the beginning of his candidacy and then as White House communications director before leaving in March 2018 for a job at Fox News. She returned to the White House in February in the role of counselor to the president.
Trump told Fox News’s Sean Hannity during a live interview Thursday night that he and the first lady were tested after they learned about Hicks and were awaiting the results.
“She tested positive and I just went out with a test . . . so whether we quarantine or whether we have it, I don’t know,” Trump said. “So I just went for a test and we’ll see what happens. Who knows? . . . We spend a lot of time with Hope, so we’ll see what happens.”
Trump later tweeted that he and the first lady “In the meantime . . . will begin our quarantine process.”
Trump suggested Hicks could have contracted it from members of the military or law enforcement.
“It is very, very hard when you are with people from the military, or from law enforcement, and they come over to you, and they want to hug you, and they want to kiss you because we really have done a good job for them,” the president said. “You get close, and things happen. I was surprised to hear with Hope, but she is a very warm person with them. She knows there’s a risk, but she is young.”
Hicks traveled with the president to Pennsylvania for a rally Saturday, to Cleveland for the first presidential debate Tuesday and to Minnesota for another campaign rally Wednesday.
She was photographed without a mask at the Pennsylvania rally clapping to the Village People’s “YMCA” with other Trump aides and in Cleveland on the tarmac deplaning Air Force One.
A person familiar with the situation said Hicks was quarantined on the plane trip back from Minnesota on Wednesday night after showing mild symptoms. She tested positive Thursday morning.
After Hicks’ diagnosis, White House spokesman said the president was taking the matter “seriously.”
“The President takes the health and safety of himself and everyone who works in support of him and the American people very seriously,” said Judd Deere, a White House spokesman. “White House Operations collaborates with the Physician to the President and the White House Military Office to ensure all plans and procedures incorporate current CDC guidance and best practices for limiting COVID-19 exposure to the greatest extent possible both on complex and when the President is traveling.”

‘Bodies of three Rajouri youth to be exhumed soon’

Srinagar, Oct 2: Admitting that ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops has witnessed increase in the recent past, Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbagh Singh on Friday said troops guarding the border are giving befitting reply.

Talking to reporters on the sideline of a function here police chief said Pakistani troops have been violating ceasefire not only in Jammu but in the Kashmir valley.

Unfortunately we lost some soldier and several others were injured in Pak ceasefire violation in Jammu and Kashmir during the past 24 hours, he said adding but our troops are also retaliating effectively.

He said Pak troops are violating ceasefire to facilitate infiltration by militants into Jammu and Kashmir. However Singh said our security forces guarding the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB) are already on high alert to foil any attempt by Pak to send militants here.

When asked about the Shopian fake encounter, he said case investigation is in progress. We are moving forward in the case, he said adding there are some legal formalities which are being fulfilled.

He said the legal process to exhume and hand over the bodies of three youth killed in an “encounter” would be completed soon.

“The process is on. We have started whatever legal process has to be undertaken and this process will be completed soon.”