Nasir Azam

Srinagar, Aug 12:  In a move aimed at ensuring transparency in revenue department, Jammu & Kashmir government has directed deputy commissioners of Kashmir to transfer overstaying employees within two months.

A record note of meeting chaired by divisional commissioner Kashmir P.K. Pole reveals that directed deputy commissioners to transfer overstaying employees within two months period.

“ The chair impressed upon all deputy commissioners to ensure transfer of overstayed employees in phased manner within two months . While affecting these transfers, it shall be ensured that headquarters/ office of the transferees is changed,” reads record note of the meeting held on July 29 to discuss revenue-related work in Kashmir.

The divisional commissioner also directed DCs to ensure submission of immovable property returns of all non-gazetted employees falling within administrative control of his office by or before August 20.

“In case any of the officials failed to submit his/her immovable property returns within the stipulated period, action as warranted under law/rules governing the subject shall be initiated against him/her,” the note further reveal.

He has also directed DCs to submit Annual Performance Reports of all employees by or before August 15. The directions have been passed to ensure transparency in Revenue department which has often come under criticism for corruption in J&K.

As per government’s official transfer policy of 2010, all the employees having more than two years of stay at a particular place shall be transferred.

But some officials manage to stay at a particular place for 5 to 10 years and even more due to their proximity to higher-ups or political patronage. (KNO)

Sumaya Jan

SRINAGAR, August 12(KINS): Lying on a bed, Javaid Ahmad Tak, 44, remains busy the whole day collecting details about the needy disabled population.

Hailing from South Kashmir’s Bijbehara area, he has been on the forefront to lend helping hand to disabled people of the valley amid the COVID-19 lockdown.

Tak can’t walk or stand on his legs for the last 23-years. But that has not broken his willpower to help the people.

Despite his physical limitations, he has taken up a task to back the smile on the faces of disabled population.

“Since the lockdown began, I and my team have been collecting details about needy disabled people and then providing them financial support. We also provide eatables and medicines. During the COVID-19 period, we have helped over 1,800 needy families, majority have disabled persons,  across Kashmir. Food items and other necessities are dropped at their homes by our volunteers,” Tak told news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS).

He has been collecting public donations to run his non-government organization ‘Humanity Welfare Organization Helpline’.  “My NGO’s priority is to help disabled people,” he says.

His NGO is also running Zebunnisa Helpline School in Bijbehara where 103 disabled children are enrolled.

He however regrets that children with disabilities were not able to attend online classes amid lockdown. “Schools used to have classes in Braille language but these children are not able to attend to the virtual mood of education these days. Their education has been badly hit by the lockdown,” Tak said.

These children have become more reclusive since the lockdown began.

He says there are 90,000 children with disabilities in Kashmir. A recent survey conducted in various parts of the country including in Kashmir by Swabhiman, a community-based organization working for the rights of persons with disability, says a majority of students with disabilities, in response to a survey, have said that online learning was proving to be a big hurdle to them.

“About 56.5% of students with disabilities said they were struggling, yet attending classes irregularly, while around 77% of students said they would not be able to cope and would fall behind in learning due to their inability to access distance learning methods,” it says.

Tak was not born disabled. He has been the victim of the ongoing conflict. He was a normal person and had gone to his uncle’s home in 1997, who was Block President of the mainstream party National Conference. He was then pursuing his bachelors from Anantnag Degree College in South Kashmir.

“Some unknown gunmen had come to kidnap my uncle. They fired bullets. Several bullets hit me and damaged my spinal code. I was hospitalized for two years. Since then I can’t walk and move only on a wheelchair,” he narrated, whose lower part is paralysed.

Later, he did his masters in Social Works from the Kashmir University in 2005-2006.

Before the tragic incident he was also selected for MBBS in Iran. But that incident shattered all his dreams.

Disabled people are facing a lot of issues, says Tak adding, “society is not accepting them. There is a social stigma attached to us. People can give their daughters to drug addicts but not disabled person”.

Since the lockdown began, people with disabilities have been facing a number of problems. They are finding it difficult to manage the day-to-day chores.(KINS)

Speakers in a webinar pay tributes to late Agha Ashraf

Precious Kashmir News

Srinagar, August 12: Renowned scholar, educationist and public intellectual Late Agha Ashraf Ali was remembered during a webinar organised by Agha Shahid Ali Writers’ Cooperative in collaboration with Ziraat Times. The webinar was attended by various eminent personalities.

Speaking on the occasion,  Asgar Samoon, Principal Secretary, Education & Skill Department, J&K, said that Agha sahab was an emancipated and liberated soul whose extempore, bold and fearless way of talking will live with us for a long time to come. “He was an inspiration for youth. His first and last love was education and his aim was to turn literacy into education in a way that will benefit our society,” said Samoon. “He was one of the few living intellectuals of Kashmir whose vision if realised will do wonders for us.”

He said that the education department will sponsor any author who wants to write a book on Agha Ashraf Ali.

“In addition to it we will work on including a chapter on his life history in our school syllabus,” said Samoon. “Our biggest tribute to him will be to strengthen our education sector. We are already working on training teachers, skill development courses for students and other such things. We will take forward his ideas and strive for better education of our children.”

Senior lawyer and philanthropist, Zaffar Shah, while sharing his tributes, said that “Agha sahab was a fearless man. He would say what he wanted to. Not all people are able to say what they wish to. Education was very close to his heart, and he would often bring grassroots education in his conversations. He was rich with his own self. His self respect, his honour did not flow from the official position he held. He had his own personality and charm. What made him great was his cherished dream that all our young people should have a very good quality education.”

He said that Agha Ashraf’s life revolved around education and tribute to him will be to convert his house into museum and research institute, where young people can come and get inspired from his personality and work.

1. R. Sufi, former Chief Information Commissioner, J&K, while reflecting on his experience of knowing Agha sahab as a public intellectual and as a neighbour, said that “when he first met him, he felt as if he had known Agha sahab for years.”

“He was an educationist to the core and education was all over his heart and mind. Lately, I have been reading his Urdu memoir “Kuch toa kahiye ki loag kehte hain”. It is a book that reflects 70-80 years of history or education in J&K. He has also slightly touched upon politics and has not minced words in that expression”, Sufi said.

Farooq Nazki, Kashmiri poet, writer and broadcaster, while paying his tributes to Agha sahab, said that while “a man is usually known in the time of his difficulties, and not in happiness, he got to know Agha sahab more profoundly after the loss of his beloved son Agha Shahid Ali.”

“Agha Shahid’s loss had impacted him deeply, but he never let that tragedy to overwhelm him. Such was the strength of his spirit,” Nazki said adding that it is unfortunate that no political regime or administration gave him due respect and position which he deserved.

Vijay Dhar chairperson Delhi Public School (DPS) Society, recalled his association with the Agha family and how Agha Ashraf’s pearls of wisdom shaped his life.

“Agha sahab’s contribution to education in J&K is enormous, and he believed that if teachers were not educated, children will not be educated,” said Vijay while recommending that the College of Education at Srinagar be named after him, as a tribute to him for establishing that institution.