Jammu, Sep 2: A Junior Commissioned Officer was killed as Pakistan troops violated the ceasefire by firing unprovoked along the Line of Control in Keri Sector of Rajouri district in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Wednesday.
Defence sources here said that Pakistan resorted to an unprovoked ceasefire violation and used small arms in Keri sector of Rajouri.
“The JCO suffered bullet injuries and later he succumbed,” sources added. They further added that the Indian army gave befitting reply to cross border firing. Earlier on August 30, one JCO was killed in ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Nowshera sector of Rajouri.

Srinagar, Sep 2: The NIA and sleuths of Income Tax Department assisted by police and CRPF carried out searches at multiple locations in Srinagar and Kupwara against some businessmen in connection with the cross-LoC trade.
The purpose of the raids was not immediately known, however, sources said that raids were conducted with regard to ‘militant funding’ case.
Teams of the National Investigation Agency, along with state police and paramilitary forces, swooped on the locations this morning to gather evidence, the officials said.
Official sources said that raids were conducted in Mandar Bagh and Dandarkha areas of Srinagar while a raid on the shop and house of an LoC trader was also conducted in Kandi Khas area of North Kashmir’s Kupwara district.
Police sources said that those who were raided are affiliated with LoC trade.
In Kandi Khas area of Kupwara, the shop and the house of a businessman were raided. The businessman was also involved in LoC trade but his family said that he disassociated from the trade last year and now he is running a provisional store.
An official said that incriminating material has been seized from his shop and the house. (KNT)

Budgam, Sep 2: A non-local was detained by police at Srinagar Airport for travelling on a fake Identity Card.

Sources told news agency KNT that a person from Bijnore, Uttar Pradesh was intending to board a ‘Go Air’ G8-204 flight from Srinagar to Delhi on a fake Identity Card.
The man, a painter by profession was identified as Muhammad Nasir son of Sabir Ahmed.

Sources said on ‘Boarding Gate’ securitymen found his name doesn’t match with his ID. His ID revealed his name as Muhammad Nasir. Accordingly, he was handed over to police post Humhama for questioning. (KNT)

New Delhi: India has joined the group of top 50 countries in the global innovation index for the first time, moving up four places to the 48th rank and keeping the top position among the nations in central and southern Asia.
According to the Global Innovation Index (GII) list, 2020 released jointly by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Cornell University and INSEAD Business School on Wednesday, the rankings show stability at the top but a gradual “eastward shift in the locus of innovation” as Asian economies like China, India, the Philippines and Vietnam have advanced considerably in the innovation ranking over the years.

Switzerland, Sweden, the US, the UK and the Netherlands lead the innovation ranking, and the top 10 positions are dominated by high-income countries, WIPO said in a statement.

About India, the statement said it has become the third most innovative lower middle-income economy in the world, thanks to newly available indicators and improvements in various areas of the GII.

India ranks in the top 15 in indicators such as ICT (Information and Communication Technology) services exports, government online services, graduates in science and engineering, and R&D-intensive global companies.

“Thanks to universities such as the Indian Institute of Technology in Bombay and Delhi and the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru, and its top scientific publications, India is the lower middle-income economy with the highest innovation quality,” it said.
A total of 131 countries were analysed under the GII before arriving at the rankings.
The metrics include institutions, human capital and research, infrastructure, market sophistication and business sophistication, knowledge and technology outputs and creative outputs.

New Delhi, Sep 2: On an average 381 persons had committed suicide in India daily in 2019, the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data said, adding that a total of 1,39,123 fatalities last year, including 36 such casualties of security personnel under the Home Ministry.
According to the latest data, there has been an increase of 3.4 percent in suicides during 2019 (1,39,123 suicides) as compared to 2018 (1,34,516) and 2017 (1,29,887) and the rate of suicide (incidents per 1 lakh population) rose by 0.2 percent in 2019 over 2018.
The report also mentions that the suicide rate in cities (13.9 percent) was higher as compared to the national average of 10.4 per cent in last year.
As per the data of suicides committed, a 53.6 percent of cases were reported by hanging, 25.8 percent by consuming poison, 5.2 percent by drowning and 3.8 percent by self-immolation.
The NCRB data further specified that family problems, other than marriage-related issues, were behind 32.4 percent in suicides cases, marriage-related problems were 5.5 percent and 17.1 percent were because of illness and they together accounted for 55 percent of the total suicides.
However, the data revealed that nearly 68.4 percent of the male victims were married, whereas in case of women victim the ratio was 62.5 percent.
Referring to the suicides cases in the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) under the Home Ministry, the report said that a total of 433 suicide deaths were reported during the six-year period, the least (28) number of cases was reported in 2018 and the maximum (175) in 2014 while it was 60 in 2017, 74 in 2016 and 60 in 2015.
The NCRB data did not reveal the Force-wise break up of suicides within the CAPF, but of the total deaths, 14 of them (38.9 percent) due to “family problems” and three due to “service-related issues”. The reason for suicide was “not known” in eight cases, while it was “other causes” in nine. “Fall in social reputation” and “marriage-related issues” led to one suicide each during the year 2019, the NCRB data observed.

Union Cabinet approves, Bill to be brought in Parliament

New Delhi, Sep 2: Five languages –Hindi, Urdu, Kashmiri, Dogri and English will be made the official languages in Jammu and Kashmir and a Bill will be brought in Parliament for this, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said here on Wednesday.
A proposal to this effect was approved in the meeting of the Union Cabinet held here on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Javadekar gave this information to reporters after the meeting.
He told that the Cabinet has given its approval to the official language department of Jammu and Kashmir and 5 languages have been included in it. The five languages are Hindi, Urdu, Kashmiri, Dogri and English. Javadekar informed that this Bill will be introduced in Parliament.

Riyaz Bhat
Srinagar, Sept 2: Over five thousand teaching posts are lying vacant in the Jammu and Kashmir School Education department, thus simultaneously taking a toll on quality education in the sector.
The official documents reveal that the posts have been referred to the Service Selection Recruitment Board (SSRB) for the immediate recruitment of the teachers.
Official figures available revealed that “There is a total vacancy of 5014 teachers in Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir. The posts have been referred to SSRB.”
In this regard, the Ministry of Human Resource development (MHRD) has asked the authorities of the UT to expedite the process and recruit the teachers as early as possible.
The MHRD has also said that the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) in Jammu and Kashmir will develop the guidelines on the usage of various available e-learning platforms regarding the sample schedule of the sessions to be conducted online (Time-table) and number of hours of usage.
“Guidelines should also include how study at home can be undertaken and daily or weekly timetables may be issued,” read the MHRD directions.
It also said that the teachers can conduct virtual classrooms or discussions.
“The classroom sessions should be either live streamed or recorded. Queries and doubts of students should be adequately answered,” MHRD said.
The Government of India (GoI) also said that the planning of the access should be done such that no child is left behind.
“State or UT governments may ensure that learning content is accessible to the needs of Children with Special Needs (CwSN) and in such areas with low internet connectivity, the Government should deliver the content through radio and TV to reach the remotest location,” it said. (KNO)

Ishtiyaq Ahmad
Srinagar, Sept 2: Suhail Ahmad, who is working in Bangalore, was reluctant to return home fearing he might have to go for administrative quarantine after his arrival in Kashmir. However, on Tuesday when he reached Srinagar Airport, he was allowed to go home in North Kashmir’s Baramulla’s district after collecting his samples for COVID-19 testing.
“This provided me with a big relief that I was allowed to go home. I am told that my report will reach by the evening and I should take all preventive measures at home,” Ahmad told news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service KINS.
There are hundreds of people like him who have appreciated the administration for allowing travelers to go home. “Administrative quarantine was bringing inconveniences for people as there were no adequate facilities available. But allowing people to go home after reaching Srinagar Airport is a well appreciated step,” said Mohammad Altaf, a resident of Ganderbal.
“If any traveler is found COVID-19 positive and is asymptomatic, he has to be kept in home quarantine. Only symptomatic patients have to go for administrative quarantine or to be admitted to hospital,” a doctor said.
Till Monday evening, Srinagar Airport Authorities have received 1,332 domestic flights with 1,80,367 passengers since May 25.
“The Government has made elaborate arrangements for the arrival, screening, sampling and proper transportation of the passengers to the quarantine centers taking special care of guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) prescribed by the Union Ministries of Civil Aviation and Health and Family Welfare,” an official said.
Jammu and Kashmir last month revised its guidelines and declared that all asymptomatic Covid positive cases would be in-home isolation.
As per the guidelines, Covid positive cases would be allowed home isolation with conditions free Oximeter, compulsory Arogya Setu App and proper isolation space with a poster outside the house.
Divisional Commissioner Kashmir has issued a directive which says that home isolation of positive patients has increased responsibilities of administration as it has to monitor each and every individual patient kept in home isolation on a daily basis.
“All the patients should be visited on a daily basis, in order to keep track of the positive patients, regular phone calls during mornings and evenings shall be made from the Control Room and the same shall be recorded on a register maintained for the purpose. A WhatsApp group should be made with all the Covid positive patients put on home isolation at the block level to monitor their health status. Any patient who develops symptoms shall be immediately shifted to Covid Health Facility,” the directive reads, a copy of which lies with news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS).
The Divisional Commissioner Kashmir directed all the districts to ensure the availability of Oximeters to every Home Isolated positive patient so that they are able to monitor the essential parameters. “After the home isolation period is over, the oximeters shall be taken back and used for subsequent patients,” he said.
In a modification in the protocol for positives of Covid- 19 infection and their contacts, Jammu and Kashmir Government had revised home isolation guidelines to permit such patients for home quarantine who are asymptomatic with no comorbidity and are not vulnerable otherwise.(KINS)

Srinagar, Sept 2:) Weather warning has ended though scattered light rain to moderate rain and thundershowers has been forecasted during the next 24 hours in Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir
A Met department spokesman said there could be light to scattered to moderate rain and thundershowers in Kashmir, Jammu regions during the next 24 hours. During the subsequent 48 hours there could be isolated light rain and thundershowers, he said adding the weather will remain dry in Ladakh region.
Weather remained pleasant for the second successive day today with bright sunshine resulting in further surge in the temperature in the valley.
However, the famed ski resort of Gulmarg, 55 km from here in north Kashmir the maximum temperature today was 19 degree, 1.3 degree below normal while the minimum temperature was 11 degree while was about half a notch above normal. Kupwara also in north Kashmir the maximum temperature today was 27.8 degree, which was 2.7 notches below normal. However, the minimum temperature was 17.6 degree, 3.5 notches above normal.
Srinagar, the summer capital of UT, recorded maximum temperature 30.6 degree, 1.5 notches above normal while the minimum temperature was 15.7 degree, 1.5 degree above normal, Met spokesman said.
He said the sky would be partly cloudy to light rain and thundershowers and the maximum and minimum temperatures would be around 30 degree and 17 degree respectively during the next 24 hours in Srinagar.
Famed health resort of Pahalgam in south Kashmir recorded 26.6 degree which was 1.3 notch above normal while the minimum temperature was 13.5 degree, 2.5 degree above normal.
In PaK the maximum temperature in capital Muzaffarabad was 22.6 degree, Mirpur 33 degree, Gilgit 23 degree and Skardu 27.1 degree.